Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lawmakers Want IHS To Be Held Accountable For Its Role In Protecting Pediatrician Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Boys
Lawmakers who oversee the U.S. Indian Health Service are demanding the health care agency release a report on its mishandling of a pedophile doctor that it wants to keep confidential, saying the agency must be held accountable. On Monday, Sen. Tom Udall, (D., N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, said in a statement that the IHS ran the risk of an 鈥渁ppearance of a desire to avoid accountability鈥 if it didn鈥檛 disclose 鈥渁s much of the report as is possible, as soon as possible.鈥 The report focused on the IHS鈥檚 failure to protect children during the nearly 30-year-career of staff pediatrician, Stanley Patrick Weber, who was later convicted of sexually abusing Native American boys. (Frosch and Weaver, 2/24)
In other news from Capitol Hill 鈥
While filling out a passport application more than five years ago, Dana Zzyym didn鈥檛 want to lie. Instead of checking the box labeled 鈥淢鈥 or 鈥淔鈥 for gender, Zzyym 鈥 who is intersex and identifies as neither male nor female 鈥 wrote down an 鈥淴.鈥 The application was denied, prompting Zzyym to begin a lengthy, landmark court fight with the State Department, arguing that the limited gender options violated their constitutional rights. (Schmidt, 2/24)
The House will vote this week on measures to make lynching a federal hate crime and to ban the manufacturing and sale of flavored tobacco, while the Senate will take symbolic votes on two anti-abortion bills when it pauses from considering judicial and executive nominees. (McPherson and Connolly, 2/24)