courts
Trans rights are once again at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday for two cases revolving around the participation of transgender girls and young women in sports. While it might be easy for spectators to frame the issue as a pillar of the "culture wars," lawyers speaking before the court used similar scientific and legal arguments about what constitutes sex discrimination as were heard in last year's case on state bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth. (For a refresher on what science actually tells us about sex and gender, read Megan Molteni's seemingly evergreen explainer from last January.)
Like in the health care case, a core question is if excluding transgender girls and women from sports qualifies as a discrimination based on sex. Experts agreed that the justices seemed poised to allow state bans, but how broadly they rule could have implications far beyond athletics. A sweeping decision could serve as a "rubber stamp" for other state laws targeting transgender people, as reporter Madison Pauley explained in Mother Jones.
Decisions will likely come toward the end of the term in June. For more specifics on how the oral arguments went, you can also read detailed updates from the AP.
first opinions
More infectious disease chaos
Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
We've been writing a lot in this newsletter lately about vaccinating humans. But remember bird flu? Today we have a First Opinion essay on vaccinating poultry. Bird flu is expected to kill millions of animals this winter. While egg prices have come down, the problem has not disappeared. Two veterinary scientists write that bird flu is one of the most serious threats to American agriculture this century. But we know how to prevent it: "Vaccinate the animals." Read more on the pros and cons of this approach, and why it hasn't yet been implemented.
And another issue that's gone largely overlooked: In late December, CMS announced that state Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program no longer have to report progress on getting children and teens vaccinated. As a result, a public health policy expert writes, the U.S. will have less information about vaccination rates when we need it most. Read more on how this could obscure the effects of the Trump administration's changes.
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