Shortform reading

Luterman argues that we as a society ought to abolish nursing homes. The "efficiency [of nursing homes] comes at the expense of human dignity", she says. She describes their history—how they grew out of the almshouses around the beginning of the 20th century, then private homes filled a void left by the welfare system, and gradually nursing homes became more hospital-like (though often still with poor standards of care). The author says that, although many elderly people want to remain in their homes, many are not aware that in-home care is an option made available to them through Medicaid, and those who are face long waiting lists. The author argues that there needs to be more focus on expanding the amount of in-home care available, more funding towards these services, and work around changing cultural attitudes on things like whether an elderly person with dementia can safely live outside of a nursing facility.

The authors describe an "infodemic" that is occurring in concert with the pandemic, where deceptive material about COVID-19, masks, and vaccines is spreading widely and resulting in those who believe it taking fewer preventative steps against the disease. They discuss engaging pandemic-response playbooks to try to counteract misinformation before it goes viral.

The authors describe the Texas law banning most abortions and authorizing vigilante actions against people who seek abortions, doctors who perform them, and those who "aid and abet" abortions. The law outlaws the vast majority of abortions, as it prevents termination of pregnancies where a heartbeat can be detected, a stage that is often reached before a person even knows they're pregnant. Many reports have been describing this as a "six-week abortion", though this is somewhat misleading, as it is actually four weeks after conception, and two weeks after a missed menstrual cycle. Even a person who takes a pregnancy test the first day after a period is missed would need to obtain an appointment for an abortion, despite all waiting periods, within two weeks. The law took effect at midnight on September 1, 2021, and the Supreme Court did not take action on emergency requests to block the law. This is the first law banning abortions at such an early stage of pregnancy that has been allowed to take effect, even briefly.

Children have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 Delta variant, and doctors are questioning whether the variant could be particularly dangerous in younger people. Scientists have said there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions about whether the Delta variant causes more severe illness in children than other variants. In the UK, where there was a surge in Delta variant cases before the one in the US, there was no clear evidence that children were at particular risk for serious illness from this variant.

An article from Quillette, a generally libertarian- and right-leaning publication, offers an interesting and admirable attempt to convince its readers to be wary of COVID-19 misinformation, and to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Berlinski and Deigin describe Bret Weinstein's statements about COVID-19, which they say evolved from "entertaining theories that might not be right but could do no harm, to theories that cannot be right and are sure to do harm". They criticize Weinstein's claims that ivermectin is a COVID-19 "miracle drug" (which they say is inaccurate but also relatively harmless, as ivermectin has few side effects), as well as his statements that the approved COVID-19 vaccines are so unsafe that people are dying from them en masse (statements they describe as "deadly"). The article offers a perspective that is both deeply libertarian, and also often missing from publications further to the right: "It is Weinstein's right under the First Amendment to say all of this. But let's not confuse a right to say something with something being right to say." It also debunks some of the claims that Weinstein has made on his podcast (for example, "The impression listeners might get from Weinstein's podcast is that children are at no risk from this disease. This is false."), and details the actual risks of COVID-19 vaccines and the scale at which side effects such as blood clots have been observed. The article concludes: "To put things simply: We have proof that ivermectin is terrific for river blindness and head lice. But if you're taking it to prevent COVID-19 because you heard it was '99 percent effective' on a podcast—while forgoing an mRNA vaccine, because you think that's too dangerous—you've been misled, and you're endangering yourself, your family, your community, and your country. No one disputes Bret Weinstein's right to embrace the theory that ivermectin is a miracle drug, or to regale his listeners with vaccine horror stories and conspiracy theories. But the rest of us reserve the right to be appalled by his judgment and ethics."

Sarah Schulman, a rank-and-file member of ACT UP New York since the 1980s, codirects the ACT UP Oral History Project, and wrote a book chronicling the group's activism. She speaks about the history of AIDS/HIV, activism, and ACT UP's role in it. She talks about what worked well for that movement, as well as its shortcomings, and the learnings that contemporary activist movements can take from it.

Worcester nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital have been striking since March 8, over "safe staffing"—that is, ensuring there are a proper number of nurses to treat patients. The head of the nurse's union says that the fight against the strike by the company that owns the hospital is about power; she says that the amount the hospital has spent on police and security related to the strike could easily fund the extra staffing the strikers are demanding. The hospital has also recently threatened to permanently replace the nurses who are striking, which she describes as a scare tactic, because the hospital has been unable to fill positions since before the strike.