Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abortion Still Allowed In Utah As Legality Of Trigger Law Gets A Look
The Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Abortion Care Remains Available After State Supreme Court Ruling
Utahns will continue to have access to abortion up to 18 weeks of pregnancy, the majority-woman Utah Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a long-awaited decision on whether a near-total ban on such care could take effect. The ruling impacts only a previously ordered block on the law and does not determine the final outcome of abortion policy in the Beehive State. The case now goes to a lower court to determine the constitutionality of the trigger law. (Stern, 8/1)
Arizona Mirror: Arizona AG Wins Extended Delay Of Civil War-Era Abortion Law Ruling
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has further delayed the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to revive a near-total abortion ban from 1864 — and she’s still eyeing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. ... On Thursday, the Arizona Supreme Court greenlit yet another delay of their ruling. (Gomez, 8/1)
NBC News: Alabama Reproductive Rights Advocates Battle Threat Of Prosecution
A federal court judge in Alabama will soon answer a crucial question: In a state where abortion is illegal, can health care providers and advocates be punished for helping patients seek the procedure elsewhere? In 2022, just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the state’s abortion ban kicked in, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said on a radio show that groups helping to fund out-of-state abortions could face felony charges. (Harris, 8/1)
Roll Call: Abortion Ban Spurs Grieving Mother To Run For Office
The emotional roller coaster of losing a wanted pregnancy, scrambling to raise money to travel out of state for an abortion and dealing with the onslaught of comments from internet trolls would be debilitating for most people. For Allie Phillips of Clarksville, Tenn., the experience motivated her. Phillips, 29, is running as a Democrat against her Republican state representative, one year after she gained national recognition for sharing her story and crowdsourcing funds through GoFundMe to travel to New York for an abortion. (Raman, 8/1)
On the fight for funding —
The 19th: States Have Increased Anti-Abortion Center Funding By Nearly $500M Since Roe
In the two years since Roe v. Wade’s overturn, states have increased public funding for anti-abortion centers — the non-medical facilities meant to dissuade people from terminating their pregnancies — by close to $500 million, according to a new analysis published today. (Luthra, 8/1)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Planned Parenthood Of Northern New England Faces Multimillion-Dollar Deficit, Warns Of Potential Cuts
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England says it’s facing a “bleak” financial situation that could threaten patient services in the coming years, in part due to Republicans’ efforts to block long-standing family planning funding. (Cuno-Booth, 8/1)
More abortion news —
NBC News: Many OB-GYNs Aren't Getting Abortion Training, Government Report Finds
Obstetrician-gynecologists are seeing more pregnant patients with dangerous medical complications two-plus years after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, while at the same time receiving less training as residents about how to perform abortions, according to a new report. The findings, shared exclusively with NBC News, are the result of a monthslong investigation by Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (Bendix, 8/1)
KFF Health News: Since Fall Of 'Roe,' Self-Managed Abortions Have Increased
The percentage of people who say they’ve tried to end a pregnancy without medical assistance increased after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That’s according to a study published Tuesday in the online journal JAMA Network Open. Tia Freeman, a reproductive health organizer, leads workshops for Tennesseans on how to safely take medication abortion pills outside of medical settings. Abortion is almost entirely illegal in Tennessee. (Varney, 8/2)
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?' Podcast: Abortion Heats Up Presidential Race
The elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the presumed Democratic presidential ticket is newly energizing the debate over abortion, while former President Donald Trump attempts to distance himself from more sweeping proposals in the “Project 2025” GOP blueprint put together by his former administration officials and the conservative Heritage Foundation. (Rovner, 8/1)
