In this edition: Financial abuses in the growing surrogacy industry, the science on saturated fat, and how federal funding cuts would hobble a D.C. hospital

A mother and son share an autism diagnosis, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. The national conversation around autism has reignited debate over whether one label can truly encompass such different experiences—and, more broadly, whether autism is more a form of neurodiversity or a disability in need of better treatments or even a cure.

Surrogacy is a multibillion-dollar business—and sometimes the money goes missing. Thousands of couples who have navigated the process use escrow companies that specialize in managing the money parents pay to surrogates. In some cases, those escrow funds have been taken to pay gambling debts, buy bitcoin and fund a vegan clothing brand.

On Instagram and TikTok, antidepressants are getting a makeover. Millennial and GenZ influencers, some paid by telehealth companies, evangelize the medicine using such hashtags as #livelaughlexapro, #lexaprogirly, #lexaho and #zoloftgang, recasting the medications as pop-culture touchstones. Yet the rosy picture glosses over side effects.

What the science says about saturated fat and health. For decades, the federal government has told Americans to reduce their consumption of this fat—found in steak, butter, ice cream, pizza and other foods—citing its link to heart disease. That advice might be changing soon. Here’s what you need to know.

One woman’s story of a traumatic birth experience and a second chance. The delivery of writer Erica Stern’s first son ended with doctors whisking him away to the NICU and diagnosing him with a brain injury incurred during labor. A year and a half later, she was ready to try again.

Looming federal healthcare spending cuts threaten to bring a D.C. hospital to its knees. For more than a century, Howard University Hospital has been a lifeline for Washington’s low-income communities. With a patient population heavily reliant on Medicare and Medicaid, the institution has little financial cushion to absorb major reductions in funding.

This newsletter was compiled by the WSJ’s Health & Science team. Follow us on X @WSJHealth and @WSJScience. Email us by replying to this newsletter. Got a tip for us? Here's how to submit.