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Late Friday, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled that the teenager must be allowed to have an abortion, but it gave the federal government until Oct. 31 to find her a sponsor so that the government itself does not have to arrange for the procedure. The ruling came hours after the court heard the case, in which the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement said that if it released her to see a doctor it would “facilitate” an abortion, an action it said would contradict its interest in “promoting child birth and fetal life.” The government argued that barring an abortion doesn’t place an “undue burden” on her rights because she can always go home to get one — to a Central American country that criminalizes abortion and to parents who are abusive. This argument is as weak as it is ideologically brazen. (10/20)

Special interests and their Washington lobbyists are undermining the campaign to combat opioid abuse, an epidemic that is now taking the lives of nearly 100 Americans a day. Until we put the victims of this national tragedy front and center, the conflicted voices of soulless opioid manufacturers and the opaque treatment world, which is filled with sketchy rehab clinics and questionable alternative therapies, will continue to cloud the debate and prevent effective action. (Merrill Goozner, 10/21)

Obviously opioid abuse is a challenge today, as is adequately treating patient pain, though, 20 years later, the problem is still sometimes misstated. But one thing is certain: Unless the Washington Post and CBS ’s “60 Minutes” have discovered a new, physics-defying form of quantum action at a distance, their splashy exposé last weekend identified neither the cause nor any solution. (Holman W. Jenkins Jr., 10/20)

The danger of these disasters lies not only in the tremendous loss of life and property, but also in the psychological toll they take on survivors. When disaster strikes, mental health support should be a top priority. Amidst the chaos, though, it often isn’t. Sadness, shock, anxiety, and fear are normal stress responses for those who live through a natural disaster. For many of them, these feelings fade away. For others, though, they persist, affecting their quality of life and ability to function. Survivors of natural disasters are at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. (Alani Gregory, 10/20)

Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 239 into law, putting California at the forefront of states modernizing HIV laws. These laws – which criminalize otherwise legal conduct of people living with HIV and increase criminal penalties based on a person’s HIV-positive status – were passed at the height of the AIDS crisis, when the public perceived HIV as a death sentence, and there was no effective treatment. (Ayako Miyashita, 10/20)

Ohio Medicaid spends about $48,000 per minute. While that number sounds dramatic, it's important to understand the context of how costs grow in Medicaid, otherwise we are limited to the politics of the moment, oversimplifying one of the most significant investments made in our society. Medicaid provides a critical safety net. While many believe Medicaid is a program only for the poor, the majority of the spending, over half, goes to the disabled and the elderly. In fact, Medicaid provides more resources for the regular health care needs of the aging population than does Medicare. (Loren Anthes, 10/22)

On Monday, an Assembly select committee will hold its first hearing “to determine the best and quickest path forward toward universal health care,” in the words of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. However, the committee has no authority to act on legislation. (Deborah Burger, 10/20)