How Texas teens lost the one program that allowed birth control without parental consent
Federal Title X clinics do not require parental consent for birth control — except in Texas, where a lawsuit upended the longstanding program. Full Story
![Various birth control pills available at a Planned Parenthood in Austin.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/XftPFhRxvw_GBwsGyL0U6FN-pSI=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d5b12abf89a355f9b4ad0284ee0c1dcc/PlannedParenthood%20Birth%20Control%20TW%20TT%2002.jpg)
The latest health care news from The Texas Tribune.
Federal Title X clinics do not require parental consent for birth control — except in Texas, where a lawsuit upended the longstanding program. Full Story
Child care centers are struggling to make ends meet, and a new voter-approved tax credit is a first step toward boosting the flagging system, advocates say. Full Story
Texas’ recent unwinding of Medicaid and CHIP has been criticized, dropping more than a million people eligible for the health insurance programs. Decades ago, Texas officials got kids health insurance in record time. Full Story
The person had contact with infected cattle, state health officials said. It's the second recorded human case in the U.S. Full Story
The Starr County district attorney dropped the improper charges, but the fallout “forever changed the Plaintiff’s life,” a new federal lawsuit says. Full Story
The CBP One phone app, which most migrants use to begin the U.S. asylum process, isn’t accessible to those who are blind, deaf, have mobility issues, or have intellectual disabilities, according to a complaint. Full Story
Many Texas faith groups have offered counseling services in the past. But more of them are expanding their programs, partnering with providers, to help meet the growing need here for mental health services. Full Story
Staffing shortages and mismanaged care can delay when Texans on some Medicaid programs are discharged from hospitals. This can cost the state more and take a toll on patients and caregivers. Full Story
At Texas State Technical College in Waco, medical experts discussed how Texas schools are addressing workforce shortages and what else is needed to address our state’s needs. Full Story
A majority of Supreme Court justices seemed open to keeping mifepristone, a common abortion-inducing drug, on the market despite a Texas ruling revoking its FDA approval. Full Story
The guidance was disappointing to reproductive rights advocates who were seeking more specificity and a list of conditions that could qualify. Full Story
Information-rich public libraries are using their websites and facilities to address the ever-increasing demand for counseling, housing and substance abuse services. Full Story
Laredo residents who live near a sterilization plant say the new federal limits on the pollutant will improve air quality and reduce their city’s high cancer risk. Full Story
On March 22, the board will discuss clarifying what counts as a medical exception to the state’s abortion restrictions. Full Story
Public data from a network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods like Cloverleaf unaware of whether the air they breathe is safe. Full Story
Los datos públicos de una red de monitores de la calidad del aire alrededor del Canal de Navegación de Houston son difíciles de interpretar y a menudo son insuficientes, dejando a vecindarios de mayoría latina, como Cloverleaf, sin saber si el aire que respiran es seguro. Full Story
During the pandemic, the federal government offered Americans a 5-day course of Paxlovid, the antiviral drug that lessens COVID-19 symptoms. But now that Pfizer is charging for it, confusion over insurance coverage, price, has made patients wary. Full Story
A three-judge panel in New Orleans ruled that a Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent to obtain birth control does not conflict with the goals of the federally-funded Title X program, which has given teens birth control confidentially. Full Story
A third infant nearby also contracted botulism last August. Local and state health officials said there is no public health emergency. Full Story
Texas’ fertility rose after new abortion restrictions, raising concerns that special education and specialized health care will be stretched even thinner. Full Story