The Promise of the Scientific Study of Public Health Law

Judicial decisions also have a significant effect on health, as was apparent by the Supreme Court's overruling of Roe v Wade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines this as "the study of law as a factor in the cause, distribution, and prevention of disease and injury" and notes that it "applies rigorous, scientific methods to translate complex legal language into data that can be used to evaluate how laws affect population health" (https:// bit.ly/4gRlrhd). The articles published in the special section also illustrate another positive development in the study of law's relationship to public health: the increased focus on equity and the incorporation of social science theories, including critical race and intersectionality theories.