Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
3 Oklahoma Anti-Abortion Laws Blocked Before Taking Effect On Nov. 1
AP: Oklahoma Supreme Court Blocks 3 New Anti-Abortion Laws
Oklahoma’s Supreme Court on Monday blocked three anti-abortion laws that were scheduled to take effect Nov. 1 that abortion rights supporters say would have devastated abortion access in the state. In a 5-3 ruling , the court granted a temporary injunction that keeps the laws from taking effect. All three appointees of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt dissented, and one judge didn’t vote. One law would have required all doctors who perform abortions in Oklahoma to be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, which would have forced about half the abortion providers in Oklahoma to stop providing abortions. The other two would create new restrictions on medication-induced abortions. (Murphy, 10/25)
Fox News: Oklahoma Supreme Court Blocks Three Anti-Abortion Laws Scheduled To Go Into Effect Nov. 1
"The Oklahoma Supreme Court recognized that these laws would cause irreparable harm to Oklahomans," Center for Reproductive Rights President and CEO Nancy Northup said Monday . "All of these laws have the same goal: to make it harder to get an abortion in Oklahoma. We will continue to fight in court to ensure these laws are struck down for good. Politicians should not be meddling in the private health decisions of Oklahomans." (Lee, 10/25)
Axios: Ohio Sues Biden Over Reversal Of Trump-Era Abortion Referral Ban
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration Monday over a Trump-era ban on abortion referrals that President Biden overturned earlier this month. The lawsuit aims to reinstate two measures included in the 2019 legislation that required federally funded family planning clinics to be "financially independent of abortion clinics," and refrain from referring patients for abortions. (Reyes, 10/25)
Kentucky Health News: Abortion Bill Adds Requirements For Physicians
Opponents of abortion gave state legislators an overview Wednesday of a proposed bill that would strengthen parental-consent requirements, increase abortion-medication rules, require individual cremation of aborted fetuses and let medical providers refuse to do procedures that “violate their conscience.” Rep. Nancy Tate, R-Brandenburg, told the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection that her “pro-life omnibus bill” will not include exemptions for rape or incest. (Patrick, 10/26)
HuffPost: Mark Zuckerberg Let False Anti-Abortion Video Back On Facebook To Mollify GOP: Report
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg intervened to reinstate a false anti-abortion video to assuage conservative Republican politicians, according to internal company documents Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen provided to Congress that The Financial Times examined. ... In one such instance, Zuckerberg was “personally involved” in a 2019 decision to reinstate an anti-abortion video that a moderator had removed from Facebook because of notable — and potentially dangerous — misinformation, according to the documents. (Papenfuss, 10/25)
