first-line

The new pill was equally effective for treating gonorrhoea and worked against strains of the infection that were resistant to current first-line treatments, such as ceftriaxone.

"Drug treatment can be useful for some, but clinical guidelines are clear that it should not be the first-line treatment for most," says Mr Jones.

The technique clearly shows whether a tumour is sensitive or resistant to Carboplatin, one of the standard first-line chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer.

Texas doctors told ProPublica the law has changed the way their colleagues see the procedure; some no longer consider it a first-line treatment, fearing legal repercussions or dissuaded by the extra legwork required to document the miscarriage and get hospital approval to carry out a D&C. This has occurred, ProPublica found, even in cases like Porsha’s where there isn’t a fetal heartbeat or the circumstances should fall under an exception in the law.

Police also used a liquid known as Bluestar that is meant to be a first-line method of picking up blood stains not visible to the human eye.