Science Comedy, Shifting Rules For Abortion Pills. Jan 6, 2023, Part 1
Science Friday
Science Friday and WNYC Studios
4.4 • 6.3K Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2023
⏱️ 48 minutes
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Summary
This week, the FDA finalized rules that would allow more retail pharmacies to stock and fill prescriptions for the abortion drug mifepristone. Previously, the medication had been available only via certain specialty pharmacies or via mail order. Now, major retail pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens can apply for permission to fill prescriptions for the medications, which now account for about half of all abortions performed in the United States.
The immediate effects of the rule change are not entirely clear, however—a patchwork of state and local laws govern the availability of these medications, and may prevent their availability in some areas. Around half of the states have some restriction on abortion pills.
Katherine Wu, science writer at The Atlantic, joins Ira to unpack the rule change and other stories from the week in science, including news of a new surging COVID variant called XBB.1.5, the injury to NFL player Damar Hamlin, a stray snowy owl visiting southern California, a likely farewell to the Mars InSight lander, and a study looking at how an island rat population can affect offshore coral reefs.
Meet The Comedians Bringing A Sense Of Humor To Science
A scientist and a comedian walk into a bar—for an interview about the craft of science comedy. Ira talks to comedians Chuck Nice, Kasha Patel, and Kyle Marian Viterbo about their work bringing the joke format to science communication.
While all three have different approaches to science—whether it’s sneaking the knowledge into “regular” jokes, or going straight for the factual jugular—they agree that the practice of stand-up has much in common with the scientific process. “We normally start with an observation or a question,” says Nice. “The experimentation is the joke itself, seeing whether or not it will get a laugh… you have to tell it in front of an audience. And after that you go, ‘Wow, that sucked. I can’t believe that wasn’t funny.’”
Plus, why comedy can itself be a science, and what good comedy has in common with good (science) communication. “It’s a long term skillset in playing with, and communicating, and connecting with your audience,” says Viterbo. “To be able to really listen to our audience, which these days we need more of.”
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Science Friday, I'm Iroflado. A bit later in the hour, stand up comics talking |
| 0:05.8 | science, but first some serious business. This week, the FDA finalized a rule that would |
| 0:11.9 | allow more retail pharmacies and retocking big chains like Walgreens and CVS to stock |
| 0:18.5 | and fill prescriptions for the abortion drug, Mithropristone. The medication has been |
| 0:23.7 | available only via certain specialty pharmacies or mail order. Joining me to talk about |
| 0:29.7 | this and other science stories of the week is Catherine Wu, staff writer for the Atlantic |
| 0:35.0 | based in New Haven, Connecticut. Welcome back to Science Friday. Hello, good to be here |
| 0:39.6 | as always. Thank you. Please explain the new rules for us about abortion pills. Right. |
| 0:46.5 | So earlier this week, the FDA gave the green light to big chain pharmacies like CVS and |
| 0:52.3 | Walgreens, as you mentioned, to dispense these very important abortion pills. The move |
| 0:58.0 | is expected to really expand access to these pills with the catch that some states restrictions |
| 1:04.6 | around abortion pills may somewhat limit it. But for people who are pregnant and don't |
| 1:10.0 | want to be in about half of states, at least this should make a massive difference. |
| 1:15.2 | Hmm. And how much of a role do these pills play in the medical landscape? |
| 1:20.6 | So before Roe vs. Wade was overturned, we were already seeing that about half of abortions |
| 1:26.6 | were performed with medication with these pills, Mifopristone and Misoprostole. And that |
| 1:32.1 | percentage has been widely expected to increase now that, you know, surgical abortions are far |
| 1:37.3 | less available. So to be clear, this is not the morning after pill like plan B, correct? |
| 1:43.5 | That's right. So these are two pills that people can take through about the 10th or 12th |
| 1:49.4 | week of pregnancy. So still early on, really the first trimester. And the idea is to end |
| 1:57.0 | an early stage pregnancy. The morning after pill is to prevent that pregnancy from even |
| 2:01.8 | really taking hold in the first place. And as you said before, these pills are accessible |
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