Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abortion Clinics Set To Be Banned In Utah; Issue Already Shaping 2024 Election
AP: Utah Governor Says He Plans To Sign Abortion Clinic Ban
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that he plans to sign a measure that would effectively ban abortion clinics from operating in the state, meaning hospitals will soon be the only places where they can be provided in the state. After passing through the state Senate on Thursday with minor amendments, it returned to the Utah House of Representatives Friday morning, where it was approved and then sent to the governor for final approval. The move comes less than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, returning the power to regulate abortions to states. (Metz, 3/4)
The New York Times: How The Fall Of Roe Turned North Carolina Into An Abortion Destination
Clinic by clinic, county by county and up to the highest levels of state government, no state embodies the nation’s post-Roe upheaval like North Carolina. In the eight months since the federal right to abortion was eliminated, leaving states free to make their own abortion laws, North Carolina, where the procedure remains legal up to 20 weeks, has become a top destination for people from states where it is banned or severely restricted. North Carolina experienced a 37 percent jump in abortions, according to WeCount, an abortion-tracking project sponsored by the Society of Family Planning, which supports abortion rights. (Kelly, 3/5)
Insider: SC Is The Latest State With Bill To Punish Abortion With Death Penalty
South Carolina is the latest GOP-led state to propose a bill that would make the death penalty a punishment for abortion. State Rep. Rob Harris introduced the South Carolina Prenatal Equal Protection Act of 2023 last week, which could make getting an abortion the same as committing homicide. The bill had been prefiled in December and is now sits in the Judiciary Committee. (Al-Arshani, 3/4)
The Boston Globe: House Approves $1 Million Public Education Campaign On The Dangers Of Crisis Pregnancy Centers
The Massachusetts Legislature is trying, once again, to create a state-funded public education campaign about crisis pregnancy centers, antiabortion facilities accused of posing as reproductive health care clinics. Former governor Charlie Baker vetoed an identical proposal last November. (Mohammed, 3/5)
Across state borders —
AP: The Implications Of Walgreens' Decision On Abortion Pills
Rite Aid Corp. said it was “monitoring the latest federal, state, legal and regulatory developments” and would keep evaluating its policies. The Associated Press also sought comment from CVS Health Corp., retail giant Walmart and the grocery chain Kroger. Some independent pharmacists would like to become certified to dispense the pills, said Andrea Pivarunas, a spokeswoman for the National Community Pharmacists Association. She added that this would be a “personal business decision,” based partly on state laws. The association has no specifics on how many will do it. (Murphy, 3/3)
Insider: Police Are Getting Help From Social Media Sites To Prosecute People For Abortion
As abortion bans across the nation are implemented and enforced, law enforcement is turning to social media platforms to build cases to prosecute women seeking abortions or abortion-inducing medication – and online platforms like Google and Facebook are helping. This spring, a woman named Jessica Burgess and her daughter will stand trial in Nebraska for performing an illegal abortion — with a key piece of evidence provided by Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Burgess allegedly helped her daughter find and take pills that would induce an abortion. The teenage Burgess also faces charges for allegedly illegally disposing of the fetus' remains. (Tangalakis-Lippet, 3/4)
AP: Abortion Clinics Crossing State Borders Not Always Welcome
The pastors smiled as they held the doors open, grabbing the hands of those who walked by and urging many to keep praying and to keep showing up. Some responded with a hug. A few grimaced as they squeezed past. Shelley Koch, a longtime resident of southwest Virginia, had witnessed a similar scene many Sunday mornings after church services. On this day, however, it played out in a parking lot outside a modest government building in Bristol where officials had just advanced a proposal that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of her community. For months, residents of the town have battled over whether clinics limited by strict anti-abortion laws in neighboring Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia should be allowed to continue to hop over the border and operate there. The proposal on the table, submitted by anti-abortion activists, was that they shouldn’t. The local pastors were on hand to spread that message. (Kruesi, Rankin and Powell, 3/3)
On the 2024 elections —
The Wall Street Journal: Can A Moderate Abortion-Rights Supporter Be The Republican Presidential Nominee? Chris Sununu Wants To Find Out.
Gov. Chris Sununu says abortion should remain legal in New Hampshire well into the second trimester of pregnancy. He opposed Republican legislation that could have forced schools to reveal a student’s sexual orientation to parents. He killed a GOP plan to redraw a House district boundary in the party’s favor. It is an unusual record for a Republican, particularly one now testing whether he can win the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination. (Zitner and Chinni, 3/5)
Reuters: As 2024 Election Approaches, White House Jumps Into States' Abortion Battles
The White House is jumping into state-level battles for women's reproductive rights, lending legal and messaging advice to allies in states pushing restrictions as the Biden administration seeks to make abortion access a rallying cry in next year's presidential election. By leaning on key local lawmakers and backing legislation to expand abortion rights, the White House is hoping to expand on the relative success that Democrats earned in the midterm elections by making abortion a large part of their campaign. (Bose, 3/6)
