State Policymaking and Stated Reasons: Prenatal Care for Undocumented Immigrants in an Era of Abortion Restriction

Policy Points

• States can create policies that provide access to publicly funded prenatal care for undocumented immigrants that garner support from diverse political coalitions.
• Policymakers have used a wide range of moral and practical reasons to support the expansion of care to this population, which can be tailored to frame prenatal policies for different stakeholder groups.

ContextEven though nearly 6% of citizen babies born in the United States have at least one undocumented parent, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for most public health insurance. Prenatal care is a recommended health service that improves birth outcomes, and some states, including both traditionally “blue” and “red” states, have opted to provide publicly funded coverage for prenatal services for people who are otherwise ineligible due to immigration status. This article explores how courts and legislatures in three states have approached the question of publicly funded prenatal care for undocumented immigrants and its relationship to the abortion debate, with a particular focus on the moral and practical justifications that policymakers employ.MethodsWe employed a review and qualitative analysis of the documents that comprise the legislative histories of prenatal policies in three case states: California, New York, and Nebraska.FindingsThis review and analysis of policy documents identified moral reasons based on appeals to different conceptions of moral status, respect for autonomy, and justice, as well as prudential reasons that appealed to the health and economic benefits of prenatal care for US citizens and legal residents. We found that much of the variation in reasons supporting policies by state can be traced to the state''s position on the protection of reproductive rights and whether the policymakers in each state supported or opposed access to abortion. Interestingly, despite these differences, the states arrived at similar prenatal policies for immigrants.ConclusionsThere may be areas where policymakers with different political orientations can converge on health policies affecting access to care for undocumented immigrants. Future research should explore the reception of various message frames for expanding public health insurance coverage to immigrants in other contexts.     

The distribution of isoelectric points of human soluble proteins and in particular of the enzyme products of 88 human gene loci

The isoelectric points of the ‘primary’ isozymes coded for by 88 human gene loci have been determined. The distribution was found to be bimodal with an antimode at the ‘physiological pH’. Soluble human proteins have the same distribution and this appears to be characteristic of soluble mammalian proteins in general. There may be some correlation with function, mitochondrial enzymes being more basic and hydrolytic enzymes being more acidic than other classes of enzymes. The bimodal distribution can be explained in terms of the buffering effects of the charged amino acids. Most proteins would thus appear to be charged at neutral pH values.     

FURTHER ULTRASTRUCTURAL OBSERVATIONS OF VIRUS MORPHOGENESIS AND MYELIN PATHOLOGY IN JHM VIRUS ENCEPHALOMYELITIS

Groups of 3, 17, and 28-day-old Swiss mice were inoculated intracerebrally with JHM virus, the neurotropic strain of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), and studied serially by virologic and morphologic techniques. Beginning 2--5 days post-inoculation, all groups of infected mice developed CNS lesions which were destructive in the 3-day-old group and demyelinative in the 17 and 28-day-old animals. Infectious virus could be isolated from the brain, spinal cord, and liver. Electron microscopy demonstrated the virus to be pantropic in the CNS with virions occurring within ependymal cells, astrocytes, neurons, oligodendrocytes, endothelial cells, and cell of haematogenous origin. Giant cell formation was a constant feature. In regions of demyelination, oligodendrocytes exhibited a propensity to proliferative aberrant membrane. Myelin degradation was accompanied by membrane vesiculation and by the stripping action of macrophages. The lesions were not due to CNS elements in the inoculum since in animals inoculated with normal CNS suspensions from appropriate age groups failed to show lesions. The morphogenesis of JHM virions was followed ultrastructurally as was the formation of syncytia in the different cell types. In addition to delineating virus morphogenesis and myelin pathology, the results underscore the pantropic nature of JHM virus in the CNS, the synstemic nature of the infection, and that oligodendrocytes were the principal targets.     

Therapeutic Uses of Human Figure Drawings by the Pregnant Couple

The woman's experience of her body during pregnancy is an important aspect of her psychological state and may be related to physiological functioning. How her husband perceives her pregnant body is important in terms of their marital relationship, Human figure drawings were collected from 39 couples during their third trimester of pregnancy Clinical observations are made on selected figure drawings demonstrating how they reflect the subjects' feelings regarding the pregnancy, the child, and their marriage. Human figure drawings can be used as a diagnostic instrument as well as a method for therapeutic intervention, e.g., as a catalyst for group discussions.     

ACETYL CHOLINESTERASE IS EXPRESSED IN THE FOLLICULAR DENDRITIC CELLS OF GERMINAL CENTRES: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NORMAL AND NEOPLASTIC FOLLICLES

Acetyl cholinesterase (AcChE) was demonstrated by histochemistry in the follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) of the germinal centres of lymph nodes, tonsils, and bowel lymphoid tissue. Its presence in the FDCs was confirmed by double immunostaining for CD21 or DRC-1. AcChE-positive FDCs are concentrated in the inner portion of the light zone of the germinal centre, being absent from the dark zone. In the lymphoid tissue surrounding the germinal centres are AcChE-positive blood vessels; double staining shows that the AcChE is present in the pericytes surrounding the endothelium of the blood vessels. In contrast to the reactive follicle, the AcChE reactivity in FDCs of follicle centre lymphoma is absent or minimally expressed, although the dense FDC mesh is well stained with CD21 or DRC-1. This suggests that the AcChE is not constitutively expressed in FDCs but that its expression is influenced by the state and activity of the lymphoid cells in the germinal centre. The reduced level of AcChE staining can be profitably employed in the diagnosis of follicle centre lymphoma.