What We're Reading: Abortion Rights in Question; Opioid Settlement Reached; Optimal Sleep in Middle Age

Supreme Court May Vote to Overturn Abortion Rights

POLITICO is reporting that the Supreme Court will likely vote to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade decision, as well as the Planned Parenthood v Casey ruling, that have guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights for Americans. The initial draft majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, contended that Roe v Wade was ill conceived and deeply flawed. The court’s holding will not be final until the draft majority opinion is published, which is expected to be in the next 2 months. The immediate impact of the ruling would allow each state to decide whether to restrict or ban abortions.

$518M Settlement Reached Between Opioid Distributors, Washington State

McKesson announced today, May 3, that it and fellow opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health reached a $518 million settlement with Washington state over their role in fueling the state’s opioid epidemic. Reuters is reporting that the fee is greater than Washington would have received if it opted to accept the nationwide opioid settlement involving the 3 drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson, which was finalized in February. Although denying wrongdoing, the opioid distributors said the settlement would provide meaningful relief to communities ravaged by the opioid epidemic in the United States.

Research Indicates Optimal Sleep in Middle, Old Ages

Findings of a study published recently in Nature Aging indicate that 7 hours is the optimal amount of sleep for people of middle and old ages. As reported by CNN, research on ​almost 500,000 adults aged 38 to 73 years enrolled in the UK Biobank, including 94% who are White, showed that participants who reported insufficient or excessive sleep were associated with cognitive issues, such as impaired attention, memory, and decision-making. People who slept 7 hours were conversely linked with better cognition and mental health.