September17, 2026
Tonight: the first lawsuit over a death linked to an abortion ban, what Congress actually did after its menopause hearing, and more.
— Meghan McCarthy
THEY KEPT TELLING HER THE BABY WAS FINE. SHE DIED AT 20 WEEKS.
Tierra Walker’s family has filed what The 19th reports is the first lawsuit over a death linked to an abortion ban. The family alleges that Texas’s ban kept doctors from ending a pregnancy that threatened Walker’s life. She was 37 years old and 20 weeks pregnant when she died in December 2024 of preeclampsia and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Her doctors had identified preeclampsia; one wrote that delivering the baby “may be the best treatment.” Her son found her dead on his 15th birthday. The suit specifically names state AG Ken Paxton, who is also running for the state’s Senate seat.
CONGRESS’ FIRST MENOPAUSE HEARING? TO START, GETTING MORE GOVERNMENT INFO.
At Congress’s first hearing devoted to menopause, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rick Scott asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate how the federal government funds and coordinates menopause research and care. Lawmakers also pointed to bills already introduced on research and physician training, veterans’ care, and the health effects of perimenopausal hormone changes. Gillibrand cited an estimate that menopause costs the U.S. economy $26.6 billion a year, yet less than 1% of federal women’s health research funding goes to menopause.
21 MILLION WOMEN LIVE WHERE BIRTH CONTROL CLINICS FALL SHORT
Over 21 million women who need low- or no-cost contraception live in counties where publicly funded clinics cannot meet estimated demand, according to new maps from Power to Decide and the Guttmacher Institute. In Arizona’s Maricopa County, 29 clinics serve an area with nearly 300,000 women estimated to need affordable contraception; researchers put clinic capacity at about 8% of that need. The underlying data run through 2023, before more recent Planned Parenthood closures. The maps measure access to publicly funded clinics, so they do not capture care through telehealth or pharmacies.
WOMEN WITH THE SAME CONDITION ARE OFFERED LESS TREATMENT
Women with the same conditions as men were often less likely to receive procedures such as surgery or stents, or strong pain medication, a new review found. Researchers screened 1,112 papers and included 41 that examined differences in patient care. Of the 38 retrospective case series, 33 found a significant difference between men’s and women’s treatment; the difference remained significant in 25 of the 29 studies that adjusted for other factors. The pattern appeared across several specialties, though the review cannot establish why each treatment decision was made.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOST MILLIONS. NOW IT’S TREATING MENOPAUSE.
Planned Parenthood clinics around Philadelphia have added menopause hormone therapy and perimenopause care as the organization seeks new patients and revenue. Two area affiliates estimated about $3 million in losses after they were barred from billing Medicaid; that access was restored in July. Nearly a third of the 350 patients who sought menopause treatment last year at Southeastern Pennsylvania clinics were new patients. The affiliate’s CEO says appointments are typically available within a week, while menopause specialists elsewhere can have long waitlists. One Keystone affiliate clinic plans to add vasectomies next year.