Get ready for some shocking news. Three Supreme Court decisions made in 2022 have been deemed a threat to public health by health experts. But it gets worse. A study released by JAMA Network Open on Thursday modeled the collective impact of these decisions and found that they will lead to thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of people being harmed.
So, what were these decisions? The first, made on January 13, 2022, invalidated some COVID-19 workplace protections. The second, made on June 23, 2022, voided some state laws restricting handgun carry. And the third, made on June 24, 2022, revoked the constitutional right to abortion.
The study, led by Adam Gaffney at Harvard University, modeled how these decisions would impact Americans’ morbidity and mortality in the near future. For the COVID-19 decision, the researchers drew upon OSHA’s estimates of the number of workers who would have been vaccinated under the agency’s emergency temporary standard (ETS). OSHA estimated that implementation of the ETC would have led to 18.9 million more people getting vaccinated at the time, which coincided with the initial omicron wave.
Between January and May 2022, invalidating the OSHA ETS was estimated to be associated with between 980 and 2,940 deaths, with a middle estimate of 1,402. Additionally, hospitalization estimates ranged from nearly 16,000 to 48,000, with a middle scenario of just under 23,000. Estimated cases needing intensive care and mechanical ventilation middled at nearly 4,000 and 1,500, respectively.
For the handgun decision, the authors reviewed seven recent studies estimating the increased rate of firearm-related homicides associated with dropping “may-issue” concealed-carry permits for handguns. The Supreme Court’s ruling voided such laws in six states and the District of Columbia. Based on the literature review, Gaffney and colleagues estimated homicide-rate increases ranging from 3 percent to 9 percent.
In all, the middle scenario estimated an increase of 152 additional firearm-related deaths per year, with 377 additional nonfatal firearm injuries.
These decisions have serious consequences, and it’s important to understand the impact they will have on public health. Stay informed and stay safe.
A recent analysis conducted by The Boston Globe shows that potential fatal outcomes resulting from the recent Supreme Court rulings related to abortion, immigration, and LGBTQ rights are estimated to be as high as 20 million over the next 10 years.
The data analyzed by The Boston Globe shows that these rulings could lead to the accidental deaths of babies and mothers during abortions, the deaths of undocumented immigrants from inadequate medical care, and the deaths of persons in the LGBTQ community due to abuse and violence sparked by court rulings. The analysis suggests that if each court ruling results in the deaths of even a small portion of the people it impacts, the total cumulative number could approach the 20 million estimate.
The court rulings in question are as follows. In the decision on an abortion case, the court barred states from banning abortions before the fetus is viable. In the immigration case, the court rejected President Trump’s attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). And in the LGBTQ case, the court ruled that employers may not discriminate against workers based on gender and sexual orientation.
These rulings have the potential to result in additional mortality among unborn children, undocumented immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community. The analysis conducted by The Boston Globe serves as a reminder of the important and far-reaching consequences of the decisions of the Supreme Court. It also highlights the need for additional research into the potential mortality outcomes of these rulings, as well as the need to find solutions to reduce the number of people whose lives may be negatively impacted by them.
