Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
15-Week Abortion Ban Passed By Arizona Senate, Mulled By Other States
AP: GOP-Controlled Arizona Senate Passes 15-Week Abortion Ban
Republicans who control the Arizona Senate voted Tuesday to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, moving to put a new ban in place ahead of a highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision that could bring seismic changes to abortion availability in the United States. The vote came over objections from minority Democrats who said the measure was unconstitutional under the landmark Roe v Wade and other Supreme Court decisions the high court could overturn. They also said any ban would disproportionally impact poor and minority women who won’t be able to travel to Democratic states without strict abortion laws. (Christie, 2/16)
AP: Abortion Ban After 15 Weeks Passed By West Virginia House
The Republican-dominated West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday that would ban abortion after 15 weeks, a piece of legislation almost identical to the Mississippi law currently under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court’s ruling in the Mississippi abortion case could lead to the overturning of its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, an outcome many conservative lawmakers in West Virginia indicated they are more than in favor of. (Willingham, 2/15)
In abortion updates from West Virginia, Arkansas and Oklahoma —
AP: Arkansas Senate Rejects Push For Texas-Styled Abortion Ban
Arkansas’ majority-Republican Senate rejected a push Tuesday for an abortion ban modeled after Texas’ restrictive law, with abortion opponents divided about emulating their neighbor’s approach as they await a key ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate rejected resolutions that would have allowed lawmakers to take up legislation banning abortion except to save the life of a mother in a medical emergency. Like Texas’ ban, the measure would be enforced by private citizens filing lawsuits. (DeMillo, 2/16)
AP: Oklahoma Abortion Providers See Huge Influx Of Texas Women
Two abortion providers in Oklahoma said Tuesday that they’re still seeing a massive influx of women from Texas who want to terminate their pregnancies after Texas last year passed the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the U.S. in decades. Officials with Trust Women and Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which both operate abortion clinics in Oklahoma City, said some women from Oklahoma are being forced to seek abortion services in other states because of two-week wait times for services in Oklahoma. (Murphy, 2/15)
In abortion news from Florida —
WFLA: Florida House To Vote On 15-Week Abortion Ban With No Exceptions For Rape, Incest
The Florida House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill Wednesday that would ban abortion in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy, about eight weeks earlier than the current standard. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously voiced support for the bill. (Muller, 2/16)
Miami Herald: Understanding Florida’s Proposed 15-Week Ban On Abortions
Florida law allows abortion until the third trimester — about 24 weeks of pregnancy. That is around the time when a baby begins to become viable outside the womb. However, there are exceptions in state law that allow third-trimester abortions in cases in which the mother’s life could be at risk, or in which the pregnant person risks “irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.” (Wilson, 2/16)
Also —
Politico: Dems, Despite Their Control, All But Concede On Federal Abortion Spending
Though Democrats won’t publicly admit it, they’re soon set to concede defeat on federal funding for abortion. After months of tense negotiations, the two parties joined together last week on a government spending framework they insist will swiftly lead to a massive deal to boost agency bottom lines into the fall. Officially, they’re agreeing to save specific policy disputes for later, including the longtime debate over the half-century ban on federal funding for abortions, known as the Hyde amendment. But Republicans are already declaring victory in that battle. (Ollstein and Scholtes, 2/15)
