Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abortion Remains Legal In Iowa For Now After State Supreme Court Ruling
AP: Iowa Supreme Court Declines To Reinstate Strict Abortion Limits, But A New Law Could Be Coming
Abortion will remain legal in Iowa after the state’s high court declined Friday to reinstate a law that would have largely banned the procedure, rebuffing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and, for now, keeping the conservative state from joining others with strict abortion limits. In a rare 3-3 decision, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld a 2019 district court ruling that blocked the law. The latest ruling comes roughly a year after the same body — and the U.S. Supreme Court — determined that women do not have a fundamental constitutional right to abortion. (Fingerhut and McFetridge, 6/16)
AP: Abortion Providers In North Carolina File Federal Lawsuit Challenging State's New Restrictions
Abortion providers in North Carolina filed a federal lawsuit Friday that challenges several provisions of a state law banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy in the dwindling days before the new restrictions take effect. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Dr. Beverly Gray, a Duke University OB-GYN, are asking a federal judge to block numerous provisions they argue are unclear and unconstitutional, or to place an injunction on the law to prevent it from being enforced. (Schoenbaum, 6/16)
Kansas City Star: Fact Check On Kansas’ Mandatory Disclosures For Abortion Care
Kansans voted overwhelmingly last year to protect abortion rights in the state. But despite being legal, patients seeking this procedure still need to undergo a waiting period, and providers are required to share a list of “mandatory disclosures” about the procedure. Now, a group of abortion providers is suing the state over some of these requirements, saying that they “interfere with the principles of bodily integrity and patient autonomy that underlie informed consent.” (Wallington, 6/18)
ABC News: Virginia Legislative Primaries Could Shape Abortion Policy And More
This year's legislative elections in Virginia could determine the fate of local abortion rulemaking and gun policy, control of two narrowly divided statehouses and Gov. Glenn Youngkin's legislative agenda. Political observers say the results could also give some hint about the mood of voters as the 2024 election cycle gets underway. (Gersony, 6/20)
The New York Times: A Year After Dobbs, Republicans Push Into Risky Territory On Abortion
In the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, one of the country’s most emotionally charged issues has come to be defined by two seemingly contradictory political realities. In competitive general elections, abortion rights emerged as among the greatest electoral strengths for Democrats and, often, a clear liability for Republicans: Americans say at record levels that they support at least some access to the procedure, and the issue has fueled Democratic victories across the nation. (Glueck, 6/20)
Crain's Chicago Business: Walgreens, CVS Issue Rules To Stop Denials, Delays For Lawful Reproductive Drugs
Walgreens and CVS are voluntarily implementing new procedures designed to improve timely access to medications that, while they can be used for abortion, have been prescribed for other purposes, according to a statement Friday from a federal agency. (Asplund, 6/18)
In other reproductive health news —
CBS News: OB-GYN Shortage Expected To Get Worse As Medical Students Fear Prosecution In States With Abortion Restrictions
A year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the U.S. is facing a shortage of OB-GYN doctors. It's only expected to get worse in the years ahead as medical students make decisions on what and where to practice, in part, based on states' abortion laws. Erin Duggey is a third-year medical student in Florida, but unless things change, she said that is not where she wants to be a doctor. (Shamlian, 6/19)
Modern Healthcare: Lawyers Say Healthcare Clients Want Help With Deals, Reproductive Care
The healthcare industry has been thrown numerous curveballs over the past year, from an unprecedented Supreme Court decision regarding access to abortion care nearly a year ago to the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency last month—along with a rocky economy and staffing shortages. In response to the uncertainty, lawyers working with health systems, nursing homes, digital health startups and provider groups have seen the demand for certain services spike. (Berryman, 6/19)
The Washington Post: In The Death Of An Olympian, Black Moms Hear Echoes Of Their Own Crises
They see themselves in her story. Not necessarily the part about being an elite athlete. But the part about being a Black woman who suffered catastrophic complications of pregnancy and childbirth, hers being fatal. Some poured out their pain on social media, recounting the trauma they endured. Others commiserated in group chats for Black mothers or gasped in solitude, saying quiet prayers of thanks that they survived what hundreds annually do not. And many of the obstetricians, midwives, doulas and reproductive-health equity researchers who said her name — Tori Bowie — with reverence also expressed exasperation that the nation’s worsening maternal health crisis had claimed another victim. (Johnson and Nirappil, 6/19)
