Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abortion Pill Ruling Raises Stakes For Election: Do We Want Access Or Not?
The Washington Post: After Ruling, The Future Of Abortion Pills Rest With Biden Or Trump
The Supreme Court’s decision Thursday not to impose restrictions on a key abortion drug, while a victory for abortion rights advocates, crystallizes the stakes of the next presidential election for access nationwide. Because a president has enormous power to influence federal agencies that oversee abortion policy, a potential Trump administration could unilaterally choose to do what the Supreme Court did not: impose strict restrictions on mifepristone, one of two drugs used in over 60 percent of abortions — or even move to take the drug off the market entirely. (Kitchener and Scherer, 6/13)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': SCOTUS Rejects Abortion Pill Challenge — For Now
The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, ruling unanimously that the anti-abortion doctor group that filed the suit lacked standing. But abortion opponents are expected to pursue other strategies to ban or restrict the medication. ... Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF president and CEO Drew Altman about KFF’s new “Health Policy 101” primer. (Rovner, 6/13)
Politico: The Anti-Abortion Wins Buried In The Supreme Court’s Unanimous Ruling Against Them
The Supreme Court on Thursday slapped down an attempt by conservative doctors to roll back access to a widely used abortion pill — a seemingly decisive defeat for the anti-abortion movement almost exactly two years after the court overturned Roe v. Wade. Yet tucked in the pages of the unanimous ruling were potentially useful hints for abortion opponents, laying out a path to mount similar challenges to the medication in the future and limit abortion access in other ways. (Ollstein, 6/13)
The Hill: Abortion Pill Ruling: What To Know And What Comes Next
The 9-0 decision was authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was appointed by former President Trump. The ruling was procedural, meaning it didn’t address the underlying regulatory or safety issues the plaintiffs raised. Instead, Kavanaugh wrote that the alliance couldn’t show that any of its doctors had been directly impacted by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) actions. (Weixel, 6/13)
NPR: Medication Abortion Providers Shocked And Relieved At Ruling
Some abortion providers were stockpiling mifepristone. Others were preparing to use alternative drug regimens to terminate pregnancies. But the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to uphold the FDA’s rules on abortion medication means none of that is necessary, at least right now. "We continue business as usual,” says Lauren Jacobson, a nurse practitioner in Massachusetts who provides abortion pills, including mifepristone, by mail. (Nadworny and Simmons-Duffin, 6/13)
In related news about mifepristone —
CNN: What A Medication Abortion Is Like, According To A Doctor
“While many women obtain medication abortion from a clinic or their OB-GYN, others obtain the pills on their own to self-induce or self-manage their abortion,” said Dr. Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. “A growing body of research indicates that self-managed abortion is safe and effective,” he said. (LaMotte, 6/13)
