Iowa Supreme Court blocks 72-hour abortion waiting period law
The judge sided with Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa in a lawsuit.
Public health & disease
Virginia and New York enact first laws demanding mental health education
The Empire State’s law, which was reportedly written in 2015, says mental health is “an integral part of our overall health and should be an integral part of health education in New York schools.”
Hawaii bans use of toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos
Hawaii governor David Ige signed a bill banning the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has been linked to increased risk of learning disabilities, lower IQs, developmental delays, and behavior problems in children.
Temple University researchers successfully reverse cognitive impairments in mice with dementia
New research shows, for the first time in an animal model, that tau pathology — the second-most important lesion in the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease — can be reversed by a drug.
World Health Organization certifies Paraguay malaria-free
The World Health Organization (WHO) certified Paraguay as having eliminated malaria, the first country in the Americas to be granted this status since Cuba in 1973.
India aims to criminalize witch doctor practice of branding sick children with hot irons
When a traditional healer burned hot clay into the chest of two-year-old Kushbu Lal, she died. Now moves are afoot to criminalize a practice that continues to cost lives.
U.A.E. makes major strides in education, gender equality, health, and social progress
The total female workforce in the UAE in 2015 was 882,000 compared to just 10,000 in 1975.
U.K. government funds £260 million to improve air quality
A £220 million Clean Air Fund is set to tackle roadside emissions, which is part of a £260 million plus package from the government to improve air quality.
Cancer vaccine eliminates tumors in mouse study
Injecting minute amounts of two immune-stimulating agents directly into solid tumors in mice can eliminate all traces of cancer in the animals, including distant, untreated metastases, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Rwanda becomes first poor country to provide eye care for all
In a country where a third of people have sight problems, specialist nurses have visited all 15,000 villages as part of a life-changing project