Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Examines Opposition to, Consequences of New HHS Rule

The Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette reports that "Under the so-called "conscience rule," scheduled to take
effect Jan. 19, any health care provider can refuse to disclose information or
provide services to clients without disclosing such actions to supervisors,
even if the individual’s actions counter the mission of the organization in
charge." 
The newspater notes the widespread opposition to Bush’s new provider
conscience rule: "Despite 200,000 comments opposing the action, HHS issued the
new rule Dec. 18. It will take effect the day before President-elect Barack
Obama takes office. Those supporting the new rule expect a battle with the
Obama administration over its implementation." 
Richard Baird, president and chief executive officer for Adagio Health,
a family-planning organization that provides services in 23 counties in Western Pennsylvania, told the Post-Gazette, "This is a
very detrimental regulation from the public-health perspective," Baird
said. "I think it’s a parting shot from the Bush administration to thank
its supporters."

Religious Right Leaders Grumble over Warren’s Planned Invocation 

On his US
News & World Report blog "God & Country," Dan Gilgoff writes that
it’s not just progressives who are angry about Rick Warren’s invocation at
President-Elect Obama’s inauguration.  Some
religious right leaders are displeased that he accepted the invitation, but
have been keeping quiet about it.  Gilgoff
writes, "[C]onservative activist Star Parker breaks the silence, blaming Warren’s forum last
summer with Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain for
delivering a chunk of evangelical votes to the pro-choice, pro-gay-rights
president-elect." Parker claims that
Obama won "legitimacy" with evangelicals in the wake of Rick Warren’s Saddleback
Forum.

Makes Mothers Vectors for Health Information    

The US is saturated by prevention messages, many of them not
sticking.  The solution?  Send health messages through moms, says
US News & World Report health blogger Dr. Bernadine Healy.  "Mothers largely set the nutritional tone of
the household; mothers oversee the healthcare of the family, young and old,
husbands and children; and mothers are the biggest consumers of health
information in print and on the Web. And with a special status that enables
them to relentlessly nag based on their undying maternal love, mothers are
positioned to be the lever that pushes detached public-health preaching into
personal action."  Mothers can model
behavior that will stick with their children, says Healy.

Ariel Levy Reviews New and Old Editions of "Joy of Sex," "Our Bodies, Ourselves"

Ariel Levy’s New
Yorker review of the updated "Joy of Sex" and "Our Bodies, Ourselves,"
accompanied by an appreciation of the original editions of each, makes for
entertaining reading, as does Christine Cuapaiuolo’s reaction at Our
Bodies, Our Blog.  A morsel of Levy’s review:

Here’s a trick you might try at home sometime: pick almost any recipe
in the “Moosewood.” Now add bacon. You will find that the addition of
this decidedly unwholesome ingredient makes the food taste much better.
“Our Bodies, Ourselves,” likewise, lacked a certain trayf allure. The
revised edition of the book — even the original — is a fantastic
resource for educating young women (and very sophisticated girls) about
their physicality. But as an erotic reference for adults in 2008 it’s a
little vegan.