Republicans Say That Planned Parenthood Clinics Are Mostly In Urban Areas. That’s Not Quite True.
Roughly half of the organization’s clinics are located in areas that are rural, or are federally designated as medically underserved or health professional shortage areas. In other women's health news: a conservative group urges Congress to vote on a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks, an appeals court has a change of heart about Missouri abortion restrictions, and more.
The Washington Post:
Are Most Planned Parenthood Clinics In Urban Areas Where Women Have Adequate Access To Care?
With the House planning to vote Oct. 3 on an antiabortion bill, we dug into this common talking point by opponents of abortion rights. During a recent health-care debate on CNN, a woman asked about the provision in the Senate’s most recent Affordable Care Act repeal bill that would restrict federal funding to Planned Parenthood. The woman said a Planned Parenthood cancer screening in her mid-20s found ovarian cysts and benign tumors, and criticized the bill for blocking health care for women, “especially for those who live in the many parts of this country that are not served by community health centers.” (Lee, 10/3)
The Hill:
Heritage To 'Key Vote' 20-Week Abortion Bill
An influential conservative group is pushing House Republicans to vote in favor of a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. Heritage Action for America said it will "key vote" the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," which comes up for a vote in the House Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), would make it a crime to perform or attempt an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Penalties would include a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. (Hellmann, 10/2)
KCUR:
Federal Appeals Court Changes Mind And Blocks Missouri Abortion Restrictions
There was another twist Monday in the roller-coaster case brought by Planned Parenthood seeking to block two Missouri abortion restrictions. After a federal appeals court last month decided to lift an injunction blocking the restrictions from taking effect, the same court has now had a change of heart. In a one-sentence order Monday afternoon, five of the nine judges on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to leave the injunction in place after all. (Margolies, 10/2)
Boston Globe:
Mass. Insurers To Back Free Birth Control Legislation
Massachusetts health insurers and reproductive rights advocates have negotiated a compromise bill that would protect free birth control coverage even if the Trump administration strikes that requirement from federal law, as expected. (Ebbert, 10/3)
KCUR:
As Rural Counties Lose Obstetrics, Women Give Birth Far From Home
Pemiscot is part of a trend in obstetrics unit closures. According to research published this month in Health Affairs, 179 rural hospitals closed their obstetrics units between 2004 and 2014. Katy Kozhimannil, director of research at the University of Minnesota’s Rural Health Research Center, which conducted the study, says there are many reasons rural delivery units become too costly to keep around. Medicaid, for example, pays hospitals much less for child delivery than private insurance does. And Medicaid pays for moer than half of all rural births — compared to about 40 percent in urban parts of the United States. (Sable-Smith, 10/2)
