Supreme Court Should Be 'Reined In' To Return Power To Legislative Branch, NYT Columnist Writes

Although Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings are more than a month away, "it's easy to predict how they will go," New York Times columnist Ross Douthat writes. Douthat predicts that Senate Judiciary Committee members "will attempt to divine Sotomayor's position on a variety of controversial topics," such as abortion rights, and in "a series of polite, evasive answers, the nominee will feign a studious neutrality on almost every issue that could come before her during what's likely to be decades as one of the most powerful women in the world." According to Douthat, the "deeper stakes" that likely will be ignored are that "Sotomayor will be joining a high court that's gradually become a kind of extra legislative body." He cites research from Harvard Law School professor Jed Shugerman showing that the court over roughly the past 50 years has invalidated both state and federal statutes at an unprecedented rate. Douthat also points to data from Evan Caminker of the University of Michigan showing that in one eight-year period, the court invalidated 16 federal laws in 5-4 votes, something that occurred only 25 times in the previous two centuries. Douthat writes that "settling so many vexing controversies with 5-to-4 votes -- effectively making Anthony Kennedy the nation's philosopher king -- is an awfully poor way to run a republic."

Douthat continues that the "modern court's most enduringly controversial power grabs -- with Roe v. Wade leading the way -- were usually the work of liberal justices" but that "in practice, the main divide between liberal and conservative judges tends to be over the responsibilities of the federal government, not judicial activism per se." He writes, "There are bipartisan ways that the Court could be reined in, and the legislative branch reinvigorated," including the idea of a supermajority rule that would require a 6-3 vote to overturn federal legislation. This idea "might spur the court toward greater consensus, and perhaps greater modesty as well," according to Douthat. Another possibility would be to implement 12-year term limits, he says. Douthat concludes that these suggestions would not "reduce the Supreme Court's power directly, but it would help us see the court for what it has become -- a deeply political institution, as fallible as any other, and answerable, when all is said and done, to us" (Douthat, New York Times, 6/2).


Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.


© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

America's midwives to promote better women's health awareness

Raising awareness about women's health concerns will be the focus of a public awareness campaign launched today by the
American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the nation's oldest women's health organization. Under the banner 'WithWomen(reg)' on
its new site WithWomen, and with its new advocacy
wristbands, ACNM hopes to draw more attention to the myriad of major issues in women's health care, including the precipitous
rise in unnecessary and dangerous elective c-sections and the 'gap' in access to care between women of color and white women.




"The purpose of the WithWomen(reg) campaign is to create a virtual network of health care organizations that believe women count
and are working to improve the lives of women and their families," according to Deanne Williams, CNM, the organization's
executive director. "Via this network, it is our intent to educate and activate. The first step to better health is
knowledge."



ACNM's dark teal wristbands marked with the campaign's slogan and Web site, will be an active reminder to campaign supporters
and will draw attention in communities across the country. Wristbands are available for $1.00 per wristband (available only
in quantities of 10) via ACNM's online bookstore at ShopACNM. Net proceeds from the sale of WithWomen(reg) wristbands will support the campaign
and the A.C.N.M. Foundation's scholarship programs.



Visitors to WithWomen will learn about the most
pressing issues in women's health and will be connected directly to the key organizations combating those issues. ACNM hopes
that the site's visitors will be inspired to take better care of themselves, their families, and their communities.


One of the key messages, for example, is the widening gap between African-American and white women with regard to access to
quality health care services. WithWomen will connect
its visitors directly to important Web sites such as the influential Kaiser Family Foundation.



"To commit your life to be WithWomen(reg) may mean you chose a health care career as your life's work," Williams continued. "It
may mean that you become an educator, someone who helps others find the information they need to live a healthy life. Or, it
may mean that you become an activist who cares enough to speak out about a problem that can be solved. The possibilities are
endless."




For more information, please contact Tim Clarke, Jr., ACNM Communications Manager at (240) 485-1821 or via email at
tclarkeacnm.



With roots dating to 1929, the American College of Nurse-Midwives is the oldest women's health care association in the U.S.
ACNM's mission is to promote the health and well-being of women and infants within their families and communities through the
development and support of the profession of midwifery as practiced by certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives.
Midwives believe every individual has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural
variations. More information about ACNM can be found at midwife.



8403 Colesville Road, Ste. 1550, Silver Spring, MD 20910-6374 midwife




Tim Clarke, Jr. -- Communications Manager

American College of Nurse-Midwives

8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1550

Silver Spring, MD 20910-6374




WithWomen

During Adolescence, Girls React Differently Than Boys To Peers' Judgments

Teenagers yearn to fit in and be accepted by their friends. A new study suggests that girls and boys think differently about being judged by their peers as they move through adolescence.



The study, by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Georgia State University, appears in the July/August 2009 issue of the journal Child Development.



The researchers looked at mostly White psychiatrically healthy Americans ages 9 to 17 to determine what happens in the brains of preteens and teens at a time of significant change in social behavior. The youths looked at photos of peers and rated their interest in interacting with each one. Then they underwent a brain scan while reviewing the pictures and rated how much each young person in the picture might want to interact with them in return. The youths were told they would be matched with a peer for a chat after the scan.



The study found that in older girls (as compared to younger girls), brain regions (the nucleus accumbens, insula, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala) associated with social rewards and motivation, processing emotions, hormonal changes, and social memory responded differently when they thought about being judged by their peers, especially peers with whom they wanted to interact. These differences were not evident between younger and older boys.



"The findings offer a fresh perspective on how changes in the brain relate to changes in the way young people think and feel about how their peers view them," according to Amanda E. Guyer, a research fellow at NIMH, who led the study. "They are relevant for parents, teachers, and clinicians who are trying to help teens adjust socially during adolescence. They may be especially relevant for girls, who are more likely than boys to feel anxious and depressed at this time."



The research was supported by NIMH.



Summarized from Child Development, Vol. 80, Issue 4, Probing the Neural Correlates of Anticipated Peer Evaluation in Adolescence by Guyer, AE (National Institute of Mental Health - NIMH), McClure-Tone, EB (Georgia State University), and Shiffrin, ND, Pine, DS, and Nelson, EE (NIMH). Copyright 2009 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. All rights reserved.



Source:
Sarah Hutcheon


Society for Research in Child Development

Texas AG Believes Gov. Perry's Executive Order Mandating HPV Vaccination Does Not Carry Weight Of Law, Lawmaker Says

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) last week in a meeting with two state lawmakers said Gov. Rick Perry's (R) Feb. 2 executive order that mandating that all girls entering the sixth grade beginning in September 2008 receive a human papillomavirus vaccine does not carry the weight of law, according to state Sen. Jane Nelson (R), the Austin American-Statesman reports. Nelson said she and Rep. Jim Keffer (R) met with Abbott last week after they had requested the attorney general to issue an informal opinion on Perry's order (MacLaggan, Austin American-Statesman, 3/13). "The attorney general met with both of us, and he answered questions we had regarding the executive order," Keffer and Nelson in a joint statement said, adding, "It appears that (the executive order) is, in effect, an advisory order and does not carry the weight of law. The Health and Human Services [c]ommissioner is not required to follow the order." Abbott's office said it would not discuss the meeting, and Perry's office said Abbott never met with it to express his opinion, the Houston Chronicle reports (Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 3/13). Perry has said the executive order will allow parents who do not want their daughters to receive an HPV vaccine "for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs," to opt out of the requirement. Under the executive order, girls and women ages nine to 21 who are eligible for public assistance will be able to receive Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil at no cost beginning immediately. The parents of three Texas girls last month filed in a Travis County, Texas, court challenging Perry's authority to issue the executive order. The lawsuit seeks to suspend the use of state funds for purchasing the vaccine until the matter is resolved, the group's attorney, Kenneth Chaiken, has said (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/26). The House on Tuesday is scheduled to debate a bill that would halt any mandatory HPV vaccination program (Hoppe, Dallas Morning News, 3/13).

Study Finds Greater Cervical Cancer Risk for Minorities, Rural Residents
A report by the Texas Department of State Health Services found that minority women and women who live in rural counties in Texas have a greater risk of developing cervical cancer and that requiring a HPV vaccination for all middle school-aged girls in the state could help eliminate the disparity, the Chronicle reports (Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 3/12). Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. FDA in July 2006 approved Gardasil for sale and marketing to girls and women ages nine to 26, and CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices later that month voted unanimously to recommend that girls ages 11 and 12 receive the vaccine (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/23). According to the report, titled "Cervical Cancer in Texas," cervical cancer rates are highest in the state among Hispanics, and mortality rates are highest among blacks. Cervical cancer incidence and mortality also are higher in rural counties. In addition, 82% of women in the state have had a Pap test in the last three years, but rates are significantly lower for minority women and women living in rural counties and areas that border Mexico, according to the report. The report stated, "Eliminating cervical cancer mortality requires HPV vaccination and support for routine cervical cancer screening and treatment for every woman in the state" (Houston Chronicle, 3/12).














"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.



View drug information on Cervarix [Human Papillomavirus Bivalent; Gardasil.