What We're Reading: Measles Cases Hit 27-Year High; Lawsuit Over Conscience Rule; Oklahoma, J&J Opioid Trial Begins

Measles Cases Hit 27-Year High

Civil Rights Group Sue Trump Administration Over Conscience Protection Rule

Oklahoma, Johnson & Johnson Opioid Trial Begins

The number of measles cases in the United States has reached 971, including 91 in the past week and a half, according to the CDC. Just 5 months into the year, this is the greatest number of cases reported since 1992, when 963 cases were reported for the entire year. The CDC said it continues to work with affected state and local health departments to get control of ongoing outbreaks, including those in New York City and Rockland County, New York, which have continued for nearly 8 months. According to the CDC, if these 2 outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its measles elimination status.A group of civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the recently issued conscience protection rule that allows healthcare providers to refuse to provide care if it goes against their religious beliefs is unconstitutional. The coalition, which includes Lambda Legal and the Center for Reproductive Rights, said that the rule will cause “mass confusion among healthcare providers and is completely infeasible to implement.” According to The Hill, they also argue that healthcare providers may scrap reproductive and LGBTQ services as a whole, leaving millions without care.Oklahoma’s opioid trial against Johnson & Johnson has started, with Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter telling a judge that the drug company’s greed for more sales fueled the opioid epidemic in the state, and that the company should pay billions of dollars as compensation. The attorney general added that Johnson & Johnson used a “deceitful, multibillion-dollar brainwashing campaign” to dupe doctors into prescribing opioids for unapproved ailments, reported Bloomberg. Oklahoma’s lawsuit is 1 of more than 1600 filed and the first to go to trial.