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☆ I.V.F. Made Me a Mom. Why Has This Issue Tripped Up Republicans? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Kristen Soltis Anderson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The grief of infertility can be all-consuming, but also hard to fully grasp for anyone who has blessedly never experienced it. It is an unusual grief, a grief about lives not yet begun rather than lives that have come to an end. I am also of the mind that science is one way that miracles are made possible in this world. To the extent that Alabama’s laws have now been interpreted in such a way that I.V.F. is at least temporarily unavailable, I am hopeful that policymakers in the state will take rapid action to put policies in place to protect it.

Locations: Alabama

☆ A Fading Weapon in the H.I.V. Fight: Condoms
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Benjamin Ryan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The worrisome trend points to an urgent need for better prevention strategies as the nation struggles to beat the H.I.V. Over the past decade, prevention medication known as PrEP has helped fuel a moderate drop in H.I.V. as well as other sexually transmitted infections, has been declining across the board in recent years, not just among gay men, contributing to a rise in sexually transmitted infections. Researchers said that, with so much focus on PrEP, public health officials have overlooked condoms, contributing to the drop-off in their use. “The goal of promoting PrEP is a valuable one, but it has overshadowed other prevention strategies like condoms,” said Steven Goodreau, an H.I.V.

Persons: Gay, ”, Steven Goodreau Organizations: University of Washington, Centers for Disease Control

☆ Explosive Detonates Outside Alabama Attorney General’s Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | More About Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An explosive device was detonated early Saturday outside the Alabama attorney general’s office in downtown Montgomery, Steve Marshall, the attorney general, said in a statement on Monday. The explosion, which Mr. Marshall said had not injured anyone, was set off one day after he announced that he did not plan to prosecute I.V.F. providers or families seeking treatment after a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are legally considered children. The statement did not say whether the explosion had caused any damage, whether the motive for the act was known or whether there were any suspects. “The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will be leading the investigation, and we are urging anyone with information to contact them immediately,” Mr. Marshall said in the statement.

Persons: Steve Marshall, Marshall, “, ” Mr Organizations: Agency Locations: Alabama, Montgomery

Mr. Abbott tried to cast I.V.F., which has been available for more than 40 years, as a novel subject confronting legislators. “need to worry.”After the Alabama ruling rocked presidential and congressional campaigns over the past week, Mr. Trump said on Friday that he supported I.V.F. “And so this Alabama Supreme Court ruling is a natural extension of that.”Gov. Many Republicans have struggled to oppose the result of the Alabama ruling while supporting the principle it is based on. Nikki Haley did so on Wednesday, saying it was important to let doctors and patients navigate the I.V.F.

Persons: Greg Abbott of, Donald J, Trump, Roe, Wade, Dobbs, Trump’s, Abbott, we’re, ”, “, “ I’m, Dana Bash, I.V.F, Gretchen Whitmer, Biden’s, “ We’ve, Donald Trump, ” Gov, Gavin Newsom, Neil M, Gorsuch, Brett M, Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Nikki Haley, Byron Donalds, Donalds, Tammy Duckworth, they’ve, Ms, Duckworth Organizations: Alabama Supreme Court, ”, CNN, Sunday, Republican, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Senate, I.V.F, Gov, United States Supreme, California, NBC, Press, Alabama Constitution, Republicans, ABC News, Illinois Democrat Locations: “, Greg Abbott of Texas, Texas, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, I.V.F

☆ What Christian Traditions Say About I.V.F. Treatments
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Elizabeth Dias | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God,” the court’s chief justice, Tom Parker, wrote in his decision. Among conservative Christians, the belief that life begins at conception has been a driving force behind anti-abortion policies for years. Among the most ardent abortion opponents, that thinking has also led to uncompromising opposition to in vitro fertilization. “That is the fundamental premise of our entire movement,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, which opposes abortion. I.V.F., she said, “is literally a business model built on disposable children and treating children as commodities.”

Persons: Tom Parker, ”, Kristan Hawkins, “ Organizations: Alabama, Life

☆ Alabama Lawmakers Move to Protect I.V.F. Treatments
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Eduardo Medina | Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alabama lawmakers are considering legislation that would protect in vitro fertilization, after a State Supreme Court ruling last week led some clinics to halt I.V.F. But its wording — paired with a fiery opinion from the chief justice encouraging lawmakers to push its scope further — has left many wondering about the possible wider implications for people seeking I.V.F. At least three major fertility clinics in Alabama have halted I.V.F. treatments this week as doctors and lawyers assess the possible consequences of the ruling. On Friday, a major embryo shipping company said that it also was “pausing” its business in Alabama.

Locations: Alabama

☆ Opinion | Alabama’s Ruling That Frozen Embryos Are Children
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Regarding the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos should be considered children (news articles, Feb. 20-23):I considered this dilemma more than 40 years ago when I was trying to get pregnant. What about all those embryos that would be thrown away or frozen forever? In my mind, they became angels, every one of them helping the one embryo that would become life. I did not become pregnant with I.V.F., but my stance toward abortion changed radically and permanently. If I could sacrifice those little “angel” embryos in my hope for a new life, who was I to tell a 14-year-old girl (or anyone) that she could not sacrifice her embryos in the hopes for her own life?

Organizations: Alabama, Catholic

An Alabama Supreme Court ruling, that frozen embryos should be considered children, has created a new political nightmare for Republicans nationally, who distanced themselves from a fringe view about reproductive health that threatened to drive away voters in November. Several Republican governors and lawmakers swiftly disavowed the decision, made by a Republican-majority court, expressing support for in vitro fertilization treatments. Others declared they would not support federal restrictions on I.V.F., drawing a distinction between their support for broadly popular fertility treatments and their opposition to abortion. “The concern for years has been that I.V.F. would be taken away from women everywhere,” Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, said in an interview on Thursday.

Persons: Nancy Mace Organizations: Alabama Supreme, Republican Locations: Alabama, South Carolina, I.V.F

☆ For Women Undergoing I.V.F. In Alabama, What Now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Natalie Brumfield, 41, cried as she read about the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that embryos in test tubes should be considered children. But on Wednesday, she learned that her clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham health system was halting I.V.F. “I don’t know what this means now,” Ms. Capilouto said on Wednesday, minutes after learning that her dream of having a child would be indefinitely suspended. Questions like hers are echoing across the country after the court’s ruling, which was handed down Feb. 16. The potential national implications remain unclear, but many women in Alabama are wondering how this new classification for embryos — one rooted in a religious belief — will affect their own journeys toward motherhood, a process that for many who seek I.V.F.

Persons: Natalie Brumfield, Brumfield, Emily Capilouto, Ms, Capilouto Organizations: Alabama, University of Alabama Locations: Birmingham, Alabama

☆ After Ruling, University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Pauses I.V.F. Procedures
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The University of Alabama at Birmingham health system announced on Wednesday that it was pausing in vitro fertilization treatments as it evaluated the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos should be considered children. “We are saddened that this will impact our patients’ attempt to have a baby through I.V.F.,” a statement from the health system said, “but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for I.V.F. treatments.”The health system’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility will continue performing egg retrievals from women seeking fertility treatment, the statement said, but it will not undertake the next steps in the process — combining the eggs with sperm in a lab for fertilization, and allowing embryos to develop — for now. “Everything through egg retrieval remains in place,” the statement said. “Egg fertilization and embryo development is paused.”

Persons: ” Organizations: University of Alabama, Reproductive Locations: Birmingham, Alabama, I.V.F

☆ Hydeia Broadbent, H.I.V. and AIDS Activist, Dies at 39
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | More About Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hydeia Broadbent, who was born with H.I.V. Ms. Broadbent was 6 years old when she began sharing her struggle with H.I.V. In 1992, when she was 7, Ms. Broadbent was interviewed opposite Magic Johnson, the basketball star who after his own H.I.V. “I want people to know that we’re just normal people,” Ms. Broadbent, her face crumpling as she fought through tears, told Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson posted a clip of the conversation online in a tribute Wednesday.

Persons: Hydeia Broadbent, Loren Broadbent, Broadbent, Magic Johnson, Ms, Johnson, “ Organizations: H.I.V Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Alabama Hospital Paused I.V.F. Treatments After Court Ruling
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The University of Alabama at Birmingham health system, which includes the state’s largest hospital, announced today that it would pause in vitro fertilization treatments after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children. While it evaluates the legal ramifications, the health system said that it would continue performing egg retrievals from women seeking fertility treatment, but that it would not undertake the next steps in the process: combining the eggs with sperm in a lab for fertilization. The State Supreme Court ruled on Friday that an 1872 statute allowing parents to sue over the wrongful death of a minor child applies to “unborn children.” The decision was criticized by the White House, reproductive medicine scientists and some legal experts who warned that the ruling could have profound effects beyond Alabama.

Organizations: University of Alabama, Alabama, White Locations: Birmingham, Alabama

☆ A State Court Ruling on I.V.F. Echoes Far Beyond Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | Azeen Ghorayshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children has sent shock waves through the world of reproductive medicine, casting doubt over fertility care for would-be parents in the state and raising complex legal questions with implications extending far beyond Alabama. On Tuesday, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said the ruling would cause “exactly the type of chaos that we expected when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and paved the way for politicians to dictate some of the most personal decisions families can make.”Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as President Biden traveled to California, Ms. Jean-Pierre reiterated the Biden administration’s call for Congress to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law. “As a reminder, this is the same state whose attorney general threatened to prosecute people who help women travel out of state to seek the care they need,” she said, referring to Alabama, which began enforcing a total abortion ban in June 2022.

Persons: Karine Jean, Pierre, Roe, Biden, Jean, Wade Organizations: White House, Air Force Locations: Alabama, California

☆ N.Y. Archdiocese Condemns Funeral of Transgender Activist at Cathedral
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Liam Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York condemned the funeral of a transgender community leader that was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday, calling the event an insult to the Catholic faith and saying it was unaware of the identity of the deceased — or her vocal atheism — when it agreed to host the service. The funeral, which drew well over 1,000 people, celebrated the life of Cecilia Gentili, an activist and actress well known for her advocacy on behalf of sex workers, transgender people and people living with H.I.V. She was also a self-professed atheist, a topic around which she built a one-woman Off Broadway show. The service on Thursday was an event that most likely had no precedent in Catholic history. The pews were packed with mourners, many of them transgender, who wore daring high-fashion outfits and cheered as eulogists led them in praying for transgender rights and access to gender-affirming health care.

Persons: Cecilia Gentili, eulogists Organizations: Roman Catholic Archdiocese Locations: New York, St, Patrick’s

☆ Mourning a Transgender Activist at a Cathedral That Once Drew Protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Liam Stack | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The pews of St. Patrick’s Cathedral were packed on Thursday for an event with no likely precedent in Catholic history: the funeral of Cecilia Gentili, a transgender activist and actress, former sex worker and self-professed atheist whose memorial functioned as both a celebration of her life and an exuberant piece of political theater. Over 1,000 mourners, several hundred of whom were transgender, arrived in daring outfits — glittery miniskirts and halter tops, fishnet stockings, sumptuous fur stoles and at least one boa sewed from $100 bills. Mass cards and a picture near the altar showed a haloed Ms. Gentili surrounded by the Spanish words for “transvestite,” “whore,” “blessed” and “mother” above the text of Psalm 25. That St. Patrick’s Cathedral would host the funeral for a high-profile transgender activist, who was well known for her advocacy on behalf of sex workers, transgender people and people living with H.I.V., might come as a surprise to some.

Persons: Cecilia Gentili, — glittery, Gentili, ” “ Locations: St, Patrick’s

☆ Syphilis Is Soaring in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Apoorva Mandavilli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Syphilis, once nearly eliminated in the United States, continues to resurge, reaching the highest rate of new infections recorded since 1950, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. More than 207,000 cases were diagnosed in 2022, the last year for which data are available. That represents an 80 percent increase since 2018, and 17 percent over the previous year’s tally, according to a new C.D.C. said more than 3,700 cases of congenital syphilis were reported in 2022, roughly 11 times the number recorded a decade ago. Experts pointed to a slew of reasons for the continued increases in syphilis and other S.T.I.s.

Organizations: Centers for Disease Control Locations: United States, resurge

was exemplary, slashing the country’s death rate by nearly 90 percent from 1990 to 2019. Now a sweeping law enacted last year, the Anti-Homosexuality Act, threatens to renew the epidemic as L.G.B.T.Q. It also requires all citizens to report anyone suspected of such activity, a mandate that makes no exceptions for health care providers tending to patients. Under the law, merely having same-sex relationships while living with H.I.V. Scores of Ugandans have been evicted from homes and fired from jobs, according to interviews with lawyers and activists.

Organizations: H.I.V

☆ An investing legend dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementIn today's big story, we're looking back on the life of investing legend Charlie Munger. What's on deck:But first, remembering Charlie Munger. AdvertisementCharlie Munger, the billionaire investing legend who led Berkshire Hathaway alongside Warren Buffett, died Tuesday at age 99. Despite being overshadowed by Buffett, Munger wasn't afraid to share his opinion. Speakers include Vice President Kamala Harris, President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, Elon Musk, Bob Iger, Jamie Dimon, Lina Khan, Shonda Rhimes, and other major execs.

Persons: Charlie Munger, Charlie Munger Johannes Eisele, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, Munger, I'm, Buffett, Munger's, they'd, Charles Platiau, Frederic J . Brown, Chelsea Jia Feng, Wall, Peacock, Kamala Harris, Taiwan Tsai Ing, Elon Musk, Bob Iger, Jamie Dimon, Lina Khan, Shonda Rhimes, Costco Monica Humphries, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Getty, Berkshire, Berkshire Hathaway, SevenSix Agency, Delta Air Lines, Toyota, Gucci, Google, Wall, Rockefeller, NBC, The New York Times, Taiwan, Costco Locations: Wisconsin, What's, AFP, California, Omaha, Omaha , Nebraska, Berkshire, Charles, Kensington, Chelsea, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

The rural site had patients screened, tested and enrolled within a week. Testing remained a problem: only private laboratories offered the viral load tests that are necessary to track hepatitis treatment, and they charged several hundred dollars per test. Mr. Musah first began to feel ill as a high school student living in a small town in the north. After hundreds of dollars in tests, he was finally given a hepatitis diagnosis — but was told he would need a specialty hospital to help him. He traveled to Accra, where doctors said there were drugs, but he would have to pay for them.

Persons: Nartey, Musah Locations: Ghana, Accra

☆ Exclusive: Exxon aims to begin lithium production by 2026 in Arkansas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Ernest Scheyder | Thomson Reuters | Ernest Scheyder Is An Award-Winning Senior Correspondent Covering The Green Energy Transition | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

For Exxon and other oil companies, lithium production offers the prospect of selling a new product with relatively little added cost. OTHER ACREAGESeparate from its Tetra partnership, Exxon also controls more than 100,000 acres in Arkansas from which it plans to begin lithium production by 2027, according to the source. It was not clear whether Exxon plans to expand lithium operations outside Arkansas. Like all oil producers, Exxon extracts water containing traces of lithium as part of fossil fuel production. The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, which overseas lithium operations in the state, has said it plans to hold hearings on the matter.

Persons: Darren Woods, Mike Blake, Albemarle, Ernest Scheyder, Caroline Humer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: ExxonMobil, Milken, Global Conference, REUTERS, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Tetra Technologies, EV, Reuters, Tetra, Chevron, Battery Metals, EnergySource Minerals, Energy, Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, Benchmark Minerals, Thomson Locations: Beverly Hills , California, U.S, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Albemarle, Louisiana, Los Angeles

☆ A Spark That Ignited in a Brooklyn Kitchen and Continued Around the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Jenny Block | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“It was casual and fun, but we didn’t define it,” Mr. Ighodaro said. (This time, “we sneaked a kiss upstairs,” Mr. Ratevosian said.) Mr. Ighodaro said he felt painfully aware of being the only Black person there, but “The staff was so nice. And Jirair made me feel so comfortable.”Mr. Ratevosian was impressed that Mr. Ighodaro was in Iowa to begin with. “Micheal wasn’t even a U.S. citizen, so how awesome was it that he was working to help the political process?” Mr. Ratevosian said.

Persons: ” Mr, Ighodaro, Ratevosian, Joseph R, Biden, “ Sparks, Mr, Jirair, “ Micheal wasn’t, couldn’t, ” Organizations: Democratic Iowa Locations: South Africa, Rwanda, Iowa, Des Moines, U.S

☆ 10 Charged in $20 Million Scheme to Sell Black-Market H.I.V. Drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Erin Nolan | More About Erin Nolan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal prosecutors have accused 10 people of orchestrating a $20 million scheme to “get rich” by buying and selling black-market H.I.V. medications that in some cases had been purchased from low-income patients who risked their lives by selling it. Some of those accused in the case then used the proceeds to buy luxury cars, waterfront real estate in New York City, designer clothes, jewelry and gold, according to a statement released Friday by Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. According to a 24-page indictment filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, the scheme also involved bribing patients to use specific local pharmacies that were involved in the plot and defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies of millions of dollars since 2017. Mr. Williams said those accused in the case had been “preying on vulnerable members of society.” Several of the defendants are facing decades in prison on various charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud and money laundering.

Persons: Damian Williams, Williams Organizations: Southern, of, Court Locations: New York City, U.S, of New York, Manhattan

☆ Amazon says October Prime Day outpaced last year's event
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon 's fall Prime deals bonanza "outpaced" last year's event, the company said Thursday, as discount-hungry consumers got an early jump on holiday shopping. It marks the second year Amazon has held the shopping event, which is a fall follow-up to the company's main Prime Day sale held in July. "Prime Big Deal Days was a strong start to the holiday shopping season, offering Prime members an exclusive early opportunity to save and surpassing our expectations," Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores, said in a statement. "This event outpaced last year's holiday kick-off event, with more Prime members shopping this year." Amazon typically uses its discount events for Prime members to run promotions on its devices.

Persons: Doug Herrington, Temu Organizations: Deal, Worldwide Amazon Stores, Shoppers, Apple AirPods, Bissell, Walmart, Target, Adobe Locations: Alpharetta , Georgia

☆ This 18-year-old has 115,000 listeners for his running podcast. Read the email template he used to land $60,000 in brand deals.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He was 18 when he graduated from high school, moved to Austin, Texas, and started pursuing his podcast, "The Running Effect," full-time. That's because "The Running Effect" brought in just a few hundred dollars last year — but in 2023, he's earned more than $60,000 in brand deals. Most of his listeners are younger than 22, according to data from Spotify, where earlier this year, "The Running Effect" ranked 15th among top sports podcasts. Episodes drop every other day, a brisk pace in the podcast world, and each has its own unique graphic. Schlueter said he dreams of turning "The Running Effect" into a storytelling empire with podcasts, articles, blogs, and short documentaries.

Persons: Dominic Schlueter, Schlueter, he's, I'm, He's, Xavier Gallo, Brooks, you'd Organizations: Spotify, Apple, Schlueter, NCAA, Boston, Columbus, LinkedIn, ESPN Locations: Austin , Texas, Columbus , Ohio, Instagram, TikTok

☆ ‘Cassandro’ Review: Love and Lucha Libre
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Natalia Winkelman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In conversations with Sabrina, Saúl toggles between English and Spanish, reserving the latter for colloquialisms or teasing, and the mixture gives their dialogue an organic rhythm. He uses the same blend of languages with his lover, Gerardo (Raúl Castillo), a married luchador with kids whom Saúl sees in secret. and AIDS panic was at its shrillest, and although the real-life Cassandro was sometimes rebuffed by homophobic opponents, the movie never mentions the epidemic. “Don’t you think he’s sexy?” Saúl says, referring to Cassandro as if he were a third person who might join them. The trouble is that lucha libre, built on glitz, is anything but naturalistic.

Persons: Bernal, Sabrina, Saúl, Gerardo, Raúl Castillo, reinvents, Cassandro, Williams, David Teague Organizations: Amazon Prime

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