KAISER HEALTH NEWS – More than 150 Catholic priests and clergy members associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore were accused of repeated sexual abuse of at least 600 children in events dating to the 1940s. The Baltimore Sun covers advice on how to process this type of traumatic revelation.
USA Today: Catholic Sex Abuse: Report Details Claims Against 150 Baltimore Priests
More than 150 Catholic priests and clergy members associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore were accused of “horrific and repeated” sexual abuse of at least 600 children since the 1940s, according to a Maryland Office of the Attorney General report made public on Wednesday. (Santucci, 4/5)
The Baltimore Sun: Survivors, Experts Offer Advice On How To Process Baltimore Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Report
Reading the long-awaited report detailing 80 years of child sexual abuse throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, as well as the impending news cycle, can bring mixed, complex feelings to victims reliving their trauma.
But with preparation, the catharsis can outweigh the pain, victims’ advocates and survivors say. The report released Wednesday is nearly 500 pages long and tells how 158 clergy sexually abused and tortured more than 600 children and young adults, as well as how the church covered it up and protected abusers. (Belson, 4/5)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
The Hill: South Carolina House Votes To Repeal Period Tax
The South Carolina House voted on Wednesday to remove the state’s sales tax from period products in an effort to up the affordability of menstrual necessities. The bill passed unanimously 114-0, with 10 state lawmakers absent or not voting. … South Carolina is among many states with a so-called “period tax” or “tampon tax” in place, meaning menstrual products — like tampons, menstrual pads, liners and cups — don’t get the sales tax exemption often afforded to other basic necessities. (Mueller, 4/5)
MPR News: Minnesota May Soon OK Free Menstrual Products In Schools. These Teens Led The Way
Elif Ozturk could not have made it clearer to the lawmakers sitting in front of her. “We cannot learn while we are leaking,” the 16-year-old Hopkins High School student told a legislative hearing in January as she and other teens made their case for Minnesota to provide free menstrual products in public schools. (Stroozas, 4/6)
Dallas Morning News: Bill To Repeal Unlawful State Sodomy Ban Advances In Texas House
A House committee has passed a bill that would repeal the state’s unconstitutional and unenforceable law criminalizing gay sex. House Bill 2055 by Rep. Venton Jones, D-Dallas, would remove the state’s ban on “homosexual conduct” from state statute two decades after it was deemed unconstitutional. The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence voted unanimously in favor of the bill on Wednesday, after Jones amended it to keep portions of current law that say “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public.” (McGaughy, 4/5)
Des Moines Register: House Democrats Want To Cap Iowa Insulin Costs, Freeze College Tuition
As the Iowa Legislature begins negotiating the state’s budget for the upcoming year, House Democrats are proposing a package to lower child care costs, increase affordable housing assistance and freeze tuition at the state’s public universities. “Too many Iowans are still struggling to make ends meet today,” said House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights. “Wages simply aren’t keeping up with the rising costs of health care, child care, utility bills and more.” (Gruber-Miller, 4/5)
AP: Massachusetts Weighs Letting Judges Order Mental Health Care
A bill before Massachusetts lawmakers would let family members and mental health professionals ask courts to order outpatient mental health care for adults with a persistent mental illness and significant history of serious physical harm to themselves or others. The court would be allowed to order a personalized treatment plan, including a monthly assessment by a mental health professional to see if the person should remain in court-ordered community treatment, according to the bill’s author, Democratic state Sen. Cindy Friedman. The bill is still in the very early stages of making its way through the Legislature. (LeBlanc, 4/6)
Los Angeles Times: Norovirus Outbreaks Grow In California. How To Avoid Infection
The highly contagious norovirus, sometimes referred to as the stomach flu, is on the rise in California, prompting state health officials to urge healthcare providers to step up disinfection efforts in a bid to check the spread. There have been at least 25 outbreaks of norovirus since Feb. 1, likely adding up to hundreds of cases statewide, according to a recent advisory from the California Department of Public Health. (Lin II and Money, 4/5)
The Washington Post: D.C. Elementary Students Hospitalized After Sharing ‘Gummies,’ Officials Say
Five students at Key Elementary School were hospitalized Wednesday for what appeared to be reactions to drugs after consuming “gummies,” officials said. They are in stable condition. Officials at the Northwest Washington school said a student brought “gummies containing an unidentified controlled substance” to school and shared them with other fifth-graders. Students started to feel unwell and were evaluated by the school’s nurse, according to a letter Assistant Principal Jennifer Green sent to families. (Lumpkin and Davies, 4/5)
