This Week in Health

By Lindsay Beyerstein, The Media Consortium. Posted November 21, 2008.

The proposed rule would prevent any entity that receives federal funds (e.g., hospitals, universities, etc.) to require employees to "assist in the performance of any part of a health service program or research activity" financed by the Department of Health and Human Services" or participate in abortions or sterilizations if these activities offend their religious or moral convictions.

President-elect Obama has already spoken out against the proposed rules change.

Jonathan Stein of Mother Jones notes that civil rights law already protects employees from discrimination on the basis of religion. In fact, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency that enforces the federal employment discrimination law, is strenuously objecting to the new rules because they would create an absolute right to religious accommodation, as opposed to the balance between employer and employee that exists under current law.

With Sarah Palin back in Wasilla, we thought we'd heard the last about victims paying for their own rape kits. Not so fast. While the Violence Against Women Act forbids victim-pay rape kits for civilians, women in the armed services may not enjoy the same protections.

Penny Coleman, writing in AlterNet, explains: "TRICARE, the United States Department of Defense Military Health System that covers active duty members, will only pay for rape kits if the victim is seen in a military or a VA facility." However, service women are being seen in a non-VA facility in the USA, they shouldn't be paying for their rape kits, thanks to VAWA. This shouldn't be happening.

Another sobering statistic: The US military loses the equivalent of a brigade of veterans to suicide each year -- yet more evidence that mental health parity should be a priority in health care reform.

Finally, Stephanie Losee interviews Valerie Frankel, the author of Thin is the New Happy, a memoir about coming to terms with weight and body image in an appearance-obsessed society.

This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about health care. Visit Healthcare.NewsLadder.net for a complete list of articles on healthcare affordability, healthcare laws, and healthcare controversy. And for the best progressive reporting on the ECONOMY, and IMMIGRATION, check out, Immigration.NewsLadder.net and Economy.NewsLadder.net.

This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of 50 leading independent media outlets, and created by NewsLadder.

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Lindsay Beyerstein is a New York writer blogging at majikthise.typepad.com

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