Author: Gabrielle M. Etzel, Washington Examiner

Businessman and Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said during the third Republican debate on Wednesday night that the passage of the abortion rights amendment in Ohio represents an overall weakness for Republicans heading into the 2024 election. “I’m upset about this. Yesterday, they passed a constitutional amendment that now effectively codifies a right to abortion…

Ohioans voted on Tuesday to make their state the 24th to legalize recreational marijuana by voting “yes” on Issue 2. The law will take effect as of Dec. 7 to allow Ohioans over 21 to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. The ballot-initiated statute also allows…

Ohioans voted on Tuesday to adopt abortion and reproductive health rights into their state constitution, with a majority voting yes on Issue 1. The amendment takes effect immediately to enshrine the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” which includes fertility treatments, miscarriage care, contraception, and abortions, into the state constitution. THESE…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday said that rates of newborn syphilis are rapidly increasing amid the accelerating epidemic of sexually transmitted infections. “The congenital syphilis crisis in the United States has skyrocketed at a heartbreaking rate,” said CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry. “New actions are needed to prevent more family…

The Senate on Tuesday voted with a margin of 62-36 to confirm Monica Bertagnolli as the 17th permanent director of the National Institutes of Health, making her the first woman to hold the title. Bertagnolli, nominated in May by President Joe Biden, overcame the opposition of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), drawing support not just from…

The Biden administration on Monday proposed new regulations on Medicare Advantage plans aimed at improving competition between plans and strengthening access to supplementary care services. “People with Medicare deserve to have accurate and unbiased information when they make important decisions about their health coverage,” Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in…

Reproductive–aged women with common menstrual cycle conditions may be at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, according to two new studies published Monday by the American Heart Association. “Menstruation-related factors in general are important to look at since they are specific to the young female population, which is a population overlooked by current risk prediction…

House Republicans on Friday launched an investigation into the Food and Drug Administration‘s handling of the long-term prescription drug and pharmaceutical product shortage. Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) asked FDA Commissioner Robert Califf Friday how the agency is handling the problems that have…

The 2023 elections may not have the fireworks of 2024, but there is still plenty up for grabs. In this “off-year,” most of which takes place on Nov. 7, Virginia will be keenly watched, particularly by followers of Gov. Glenn Youngkin and whether he can springboard Republican success into national aspirations. Meanwhile, the governor’s mansion is…

House Republicans on Thursday issued a subpoena for testimony to a top Department of Health and Human Services official, demanding she answer for claims by agency staff that they lack the administrative capacity to comply with congressional investigations into the origins of COVID-19. The Oversight and Energy and Commerce Committees are demanding a transcribed interview…