Health
Anti-trans laws fueled a spike in suicide attempts among trans and nonbinary youth
The number of suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth in states that passed anti-transgender laws increased by as much as 72% over five years, according to a study released on Thursday. “It’s hard to digest,” said Dr. Ronita Nath, vice president of research at The Trevor Project, the LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization that conducted […]
Ochsner, LCMC Health hospitals to lock up life-saving medication outside labor and delivery rooms
NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana hospitals have scrambled to update their guidelines for misoprostol, a common pregnancy care medication that a new state law will reclassify as a controlled dangerous substance starting Oct. 1. Misoprostol is used for a variety of medical reasons, including postpartum hemorrhages. LCMC Health and Ochsner Health System, which own and operate […]
Fact-check: Anti-vax proponents dominate legislative hearing on COVID response
A state legislative hearing Wednesday that lawmakers said was to review Louisiana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic turned into a forum for anti-vaccine advocates and proponents for alternative cures. The Louisiana House Select Committee on Homeland Security convened Wednesday for the first of two meetings meant to evaluate how the state responded to the coronavirus. […]
‘Bare bones’: Disability rights advocates say New Orleans’ disaster plans fall short
NEW ORLEANS — When forecasters projected Hurricane Ida was going to hit New Orleans in August of 2021, Ashley Volion was not sure what she would do. Volion, who works as a policy analyst at Disability Rights Louisiana, has cerebral palsy and can’t walk. She uses a battery-powered wheelchair to get around and requires the […]
Will abortion swing the first post-Roe presidential election?
Editor’s note: This five-day series explores the priorities of voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as they consider the upcoming presidential election. With the outcome expected to be close, these “swing states” may decide the future of the country. Dr. Kristin Lyerly’s placenta detached from her uterus when she was […]
GOP senator blocks resolution stating the right to emergency care includes abortion
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats attempted to pass a resolution Tuesday addressing abortion access in emergency medical situations, but Republicans blocked it from moving forward. The floor action followed months of unsuccessful attempts by congressional Democrats to approve legislation on various reproductive rights, including access to birth control and in vitro fertilization. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., […]
School shooting damage lasts for years, survivors tell panel of U.S. House Democrats
WASHINGTON — The devastating effects of school shootings continue well after shootings occur, according to survivors, experts and educators who spoke at a roundtable U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee Democrats held Monday. Democrats scheduled the discussion after the recent school shooting in Georgia, where two students and two teachers were killed. Witnesses told the […]
She was accused of murder after losing her pregnancy. She’s now telling her story.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Amari Marsh had just finished her junior year at South Carolina State University in May 2023 when she received a text message from a law enforcement officer. “Sorry it has taken this long for paperwork to come back,” the officer wrote. “But I finally have the final report, and wanted to see […]
Liz Murrill, Right to Life villainize the media, but victimize doctors and patients
Louisiana’s attorney general and the state’s leading anti-abortion group were quick to claim “disinformation” in response to the Illuminator’s recent reporting on a new law that will classify two vital pregnancy care drugs as controlled dangerous substances. Attorney General Liz Murrill insists “there should be no delay in care” under the statute that takes effect […]
Francine food assistance: How to apply for disaster, replacement and supplemental aid
Qualifying Louisiana residents in areas Hurricane Francine impacted last week will be able to receive federal assistance with replacing or supplementing their food, state officials announced Friday. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services received approval on Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) operations in eight parishes, automatic SNAP replacement benefits for four parishes, […]
Baton Rouge’s Kaitlyn Joshua is on the road telling her post-Roe story
DUMFRIES, Virginia — On a warm September Saturday, Kaitlyn Joshua stepped off the Fight for Reproductive Freedoms bus into the parking lot of an office park off a busy stretch of highway in Northern Virginia. The assembled crowd there had come to hear her and Amanda Zurawski, two of the most visible surrogates for Vice […]
Hospital conducts drills ahead of new Louisiana law for pregnancy care drugs
NEW ORLEANS — Less than two weeks before a controversial Louisiana law reclassifying common pregnancy care pills as controlled dangerous substances takes effect, doctors are trying to prepare for what delays in accessing life-saving medication could mean. In one New Orleans-area hospital, they are already practicing timed drills, running from delivery rooms to the locked […]