Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abortion Rose So Far This Year In Most States Where It's Still Legal: Study
The New York Times: Abortions Rose in Most States This Year, New Data Shows
Legal abortions most likely increased in the United States in the first six months of the year compared with 2020, an analysis of new estimates shows, as states with more permissive abortion laws absorbed patients traveling from those with bans and access to abortion pills via telemedicine continued to expand. ... The data suggests that thousands of women have crossed state lines to obtain an abortion, in the face of restrictions at home. It also indicates a rise in abortions among those living in states where the procedure is legal. (Walker and McCann, 9/6)
NPR: Where Are Abortions Happening? New Study Tracks Post-Roe Trends
People seeking an abortion are "highly motivated" to travel if they can't get abortions where they live. That's one conclusion from a study from the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy group that supports reproductive rights. ... "If you're interested in where people are going, then I think the numbers tell a big part of that story because it represents a lot of people traveling," says Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist at the Guttmacher Institute. (Simmons-Duffin, 9/7)
In other abortion updates —
The Washington Post: Mexican Court Expands Access To Abortion, Even As U.S. Restricts It
The Mexican Supreme Court on Wednesday widened access to abortion, decriminalizing the procedure in federal health facilities. The ruling means that more than 70 percent of women in Mexico — including everyone who uses the federal health system — will have access to legal abortion, said the Information Group on Reproductive Choice, or GIRE. The nonprofit organization, which took the case to the Supreme Court, called the decision a “historic milestone.” (Sheridan, 9/6)
Reuters: Planned Parenthood Seeks To Overturn US Whistleblower Fraud Law
Planned Parenthood is challenging a decades-old law allowing whistleblowers to bring fraud lawsuits on behalf of the government, in a bid to defeat a $1.8 billion lawsuit by an anonymous anti-abortion activist and the state of Texas seeking to recover money they claim the organization illegally took from Medicaid. In a filing in Amarillo, Texas, federal court on Friday, Planned Parenthood argued that the so-called "qui tam" provision of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) lets private citizens take on the role of government officials enforcing the law, violating the U.S. Constitution's requirement that such officials be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. (Pierson, 9/6)
AP: Hundreds Of Military Promotions Are On Hold As Republican Senator Demands End To Abortion Policy
Top defense officials are accusing Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville of jeopardizing America’s national security with his hold on roughly 300 military promotions, raising the stakes in a clash over abortion policy that shows no signs of easing. Tuberville brushed off the criticism, vowing he will not give in. “We’re going to be in a holding pattern for a long time,” he said, if the Pentagon refuses to end its policy of paying for travel when a service member goes out of state to get an abortion or other reproductive care. (Freking and Copp, 9/7)
On child care and maternal care —
The Washington Post: Child Care Is About To Get More Expensive, As Federal Funds Dry Up
With her toddlers’ day care closing in weeks, Lexie Monigal is back in a familiar bind: desperately searching for child care while contemplating quitting her full-time job as a surgical nurse in Menasha, Wis. It’s the second time this year her twins’ day care has suddenly announced plans to shutter — both for financial difficulties — leaving her without someone to watch her 2-year-olds and exacerbating a long-standing shortage of child care in this stretch of Wisconsin. (Bhattarai,9/5)
The 19th: Ta’Kiya Young Shooting Highlights Sobering Reality For Black Pregnant Women In America
Nadine Young left her home in Ohio under the crushing weight of grief. By the end of 1989, the young mother of four had lost both of her parents, a stillborn baby girl and her sister. She packed up and moved to Mississippi for nearly a decade, where she gave birth to a fifth son. She taught her boys to be respectable and to always do what police asked. (Henry, 9/6)
