Maternal deaths surged to the highest rate in nearly 60 years, data showed, exacerbating a yearslong trend that has made the U.S. the most dangerous place among high-income countries to give birth. Cardiovascular conditions such as pulmonary embolisms, uncontrolled bleeding and problems stemming from hypertension are the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. (Toy, The Wall Street Journal)
Read MoreIn many high-profile moments, these Republicans portray the nation as locked in an existential battle, where the stark combat lines denote not just policy disagreements but warring camps of saviors versus villains, and where political opponents are regularly demonized. (Parker, The Washington Post)
Read MoreRev. Dr Patrick Pullicino, 73, is taking legal action against an NHS trust after he claims he was ousted for answering a hospital patient’s questions about the Church’s teaching on marriage. (Swerling, The Telegraph)
Read MoreCatholic leaders are pushing back against efforts to alter state laws that exempt clergy from reporting child abuse they hear about during the sacrament of confession, arguing the changes will force priests to choose between the law and their faith. Advocates for abuse survivors insist the changes are necessary, noting instances where abuse by a parishioner or even a cleric continued despite a priest learning about it during confession. (Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Read MoreOn Tuesday, Wellesley students supported a referendum that had polarized the campus and went straight to the heart of Wellesley’s identity as a women’s college. The referendum, which was nonbinding, called for opening admission to all nonbinary and transgender applicants, including trans men. Currently, the college allows admission to anyone who lives and consistently identifies as a woman. (Patel, The New York Times)
Read MoreThe high-stakes hearing, for which the judge has allotted up to four hours, will be the first time the judge engages directly with lawyers for the Justice Department, representing the FDA; the company that manufactures and distributes the drug; and the antiabortion group challenging the medication. (Stein, Kitchener & Marimow, The Washington Post)
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