Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abortion Bans In Idaho And Louisiana Will Stay In Effect
AP: Idaho Supreme Court Won't Block Strict Abortion Bans
Idaho’s strict abortion bans will be allowed to take effect while legal challenges over the laws play out in court, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled Friday. The ruling means potential relatives of an embryo or fetus can now sue abortion providers over procedures done after six weeks of gestation — before many people know they are pregnant. Another stricter ban criminalizing all abortions takes effect later this month. (Boone, 8/12)
AP: Louisiana Supreme Court Rejects Appeal In Abortion Ban Case
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday denied an appeal filed by plaintiffs in the ongoing legal battle over the state’s abortion ban, allowing the ban to stay in effect. The ruling marked a major blow to abortion-rights advocates and providers, who had hoped the ban would be blocked for a third time, allowing Louisiana’s three abortion clinics to begin performing procedures again. (Cline, 8/12)
In abortion updates from New York City —
Bloomberg: NYC Mayor Adams Signs Six Bills Aiming To Bolster Abortion Care
The legislation includes a mandate for clinics operated by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide free abortion medication. It also prohibits the use of city resources to detain people for performing the procedure, and forbids city agencies from cooperating with out-of-state law enforcement about abortions performed in New York. (Sheinerman, 8/12)
In related news about reproductive health care —
ABC News: Abortion Clinics In Embattled States Face Another Challenge
When Katie Quinonez, the executive director of an abortion clinic in West Virginia, saw the Supreme Court decision that overturned the federal guarantee of the right to an abortion, the first word she uttered was an obscenity. The nonprofit Women's Health Center of West Virginia, located in Charleston, faced the immediate risk of prosecution under a state abortion ban from 1882, so Quinonez and a coworker made 60 calls to patients canceling procedures scheduled for the ensuing three weeks, said Quinonez. (Zahn, 8/15)
NPR: Without Roe, Minors Who Need Parental Permission For An Abortion Are In Limbo
For decades, young people have faced major barriers to abortion because of state laws requiring parental involvement in the decision to terminate a pregnancy. But now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — and the federal right to an abortion is gone — access is even more complex for adolescents. (Burbank, 8/13)
Axios: Half Of U.S. Employers Plan Abortion Travel Benefits
More than a third (35%) of U.S. employers already offer travel and lodging benefits for elective and medically necessary abortions and another 16% are considering offering it next year, according to a survey from human resources consultancy Willis Towers Watson. (Reed, 8/12)
The Washington Post: Anti-Abortion Groups Take Aim At Medicated, At-Home Abortions
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, 14 states now ban or partially ban the use of mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used in more than half of all abortions. But the drugs remain widely available, with multiple groups working to help provide them even to women in states with abortion bans. Students for Life of America and National Right to Life Committee, which have played leading roles in crafting antiabortion laws, hope to change that with new legislation. (Kindy, 8/14)
NPR: How Gender-Affirming Care Is Affected When Clinics That Offer Abortions Close
When someone set ablaze the only Planned Parenthood health clinic in Knoxville, Tenn., earlier this year, the center was immediately inundated with patients' questions of what will happen to their care – but it wasn't just about abortion services. (Kim, 8/14)
The New York Times: Vasectomies Among The Young And Childless May Be On The Rise
In March, Mike Pridgen, a 28-year-old comedian based in New Jersey, got a vasectomy and posted the process on TikTok. His doctor, off camera, can be heard saying “little pinch here” and Mr. Pridgen winces, his eyes shut tight behind his glasses, bracing for pain. “Oh,” Mr. Pridgen says. “That’s not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.” (Gupta, 8/12)
Also —
The Hill: Lacking Power, Supreme Court’s Liberals Find Voice In Dissent
Outnumbered 6-3, the Supreme Court’s liberals are increasingly likely to find themselves on the losing side of landmark rulings, as happened repeatedly this term, most notably with the historic overruling of Roe v. Wade. As a result, the dissenting opinion — a quintessentially American form of discourse — has taken on heightened symbolic significance. Although in no way binding, the dissents are serving as a platform for articulating the role of liberal judicial ideas in public life, and laying down a historical marker in an era of conservative-led legal upheaval. (Kruzel, 8/14)
KHN: Journalists Scrutinize Retail Giants’ Push Into Health Care And Government’s HIV Surveillance
On Aug. 5, KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed CVS Pharmacy’s plan to offer more primary care services and Amazon’s offering to buy One Medical on Peacock/NBC’s “NOW Tonight With Joshua Johnson.” She also discussed the Kansas ballot measure, rejected by voters, that would have stripped abortion rights from the state constitution on WAMU/NPR’s “1A” on Aug. 5. ... KHN correspondent Sam Whitehead discussed the potential harm of genetic HIV surveillance by the government on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Aug. 4. (8/13)
