Tuberville Lifts Most Military Holds Amid Protest Over Abortion Policy
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, is ending his months-long blockade on all but 11 military leadership promotions in protest of the Pentagon's abortion policies.
USA Today:
GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville Caves On Military Holds Over Abortion Policy
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade on military promotions that stretched over 10 months has come to an end. The Alabama lawmaker, who has been protesting a Pentagon policy on abortion since February, told reporters Tuesday he will be lifting holds on military promotions for nominees three-stars and below. The blockade has prevented more than 400 military jobs from being filled. "It's been a long fight. We fought hard. We did the right thing for the unborn and for our military," he said Tuesday. (Looker, 12/5)
Reuters:
Senator Tuberville Lifts Abortion-Related Blockade On Some US Military Promotions
Pentagon leaders have said the holds threatened national security, and Tuberville, a social conservative from Alabama, has not lifted them all. "I've still got a hold on, I think, 11 four-star generals. Everybody else is completely released by me," he told reporters. (12/5)
More abortion news from Texas and Wisconsin —
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Woman Sues To Get Emergency Abortion Amid Risky Pregnancy
A Texas woman is asking a judge to allow her to get an emergency abortion after learning that her baby has a rare and typically fatal condition. The first-of-its-kind lawsuit, filed Tuesday, is significant because it comes a week after state lawyers suggested before the Texas Supreme Court that only pregnant women in immediate distress could bring claims against the state’s abortion ban. (Goldenstein, 12/5)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Judge Rules Wisconsin's 1849 Law Does Not Ban Abortions
A Dane County judge on Tuesday ruled that a 174-year-old law thought to prohibit abortion in Wisconsin does not, in fact, do so. "The Court declares Wis. Stat. § 940.04 does not prohibit abortions," wrote Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper. Schlipper ruled that the law in question, a statute written in 1849, does not apply to abortions but to feticide. A consensual abortion is sought out by a pregnant woman who voluntarily determines to end a pregnancy. (Opoien, 12/5)
On birth control and women's health —
Axios:
Biden Pushed To Strengthen Free Birth Control Coverage Under ACA
Democrats and reproductive rights organizations are putting renewed pressure on the Biden administration to ensure that health insurers fully cover contraception, citing fresh evidence that companies are failing to meet the Affordable Care Act requirement. (Reed, 12/6)
CBS News:
Minnesota-Based Just The Pill Providing Women With Mobile Reproductive Health Care
A Minnesota-based startup is hitting the road for abortion rights, but this is not a policy campaign. Just The Pill is an organization that offers reproductive health services to women via telehealth and a mobile clinic that its directors think will be a model for the future of this health care. "We have a lot to build back after Roe," medical director Dr. Julie Amaon told WCCO, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that rescinded a national right to abortion. (Kaplan, 12/5)
KFF Health News:
Grassroots College Networks Distribute Emergency Contraceptives On Campus
Limya Harvey and Cydney Mumford set up a folding table a few times a month on the University of Texas-San Antonio campus to give away kits containing emergency contraceptives, condoms, and lube, or menstrual products like tampons and pads. They typically bring 50 of each type of kit, and after just an hour or two everything is gone. The 19-year-old sophomores — Harvey is enrolled at UTSA and Mumford at Northeast Lakeview College — founded the organization Black Book Sex Ed last spring. Their mission is to educate students and others in need about sexual health and connect them with free services and products packaged into kits they distribute on campus, in the community, and through their website. (Andrews, 12/6)
St. Louis Public Radio:
Women's Health Research Is Gaining Needed Attention At Wash U
Research on women’s health has been underfunded for decades. That fact was highlighted by First Lady Jill Biden in November as the White House announced the nation’s first initiative for women’s health research. “Every woman I know has a story about leaving her doctor’s office with more questions than answers,” Jill Biden said. “Not because our doctors are withholding information, but because there’s just not enough research yet on how to best manage and treat even common women’s health conditions.” (Woodbury, 12/6)
