Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abortions Restart In Wisconsin — And Appointments Are Fully Booked
AP: Planned Parenthood Resumes Offering Abortions In Wisconsin After More Than A Year
Planned Parenthood resumed offering abortion services in Wisconsin on Monday after halting them for more than a year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Providers across the state stopped offering abortions following the June 2022 decision, fearing enforcement of an 1849 state law that appears to ban the procedure but had previously been nullified by the 1973 Roe ruling. A judge ruled last month that the 144-year-old law doesn’t apply to medical abortions. (Venhuizen, 9/18)
News Service of Florida: Lawmaker's Proposal Seeks To Prevent Criminal Charges For Women Over Abortions
Pointing to recent comments made by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book on Friday filed a bill aimed at preventing women from being charged with crimes after obtaining abortions. A law signed by DeSantis in April would prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law says "any person who willfully performs or actively participates in a termination of pregnancy" in violation of the law would face felony charges. (9/18)
AP: Indiana’s Attorney General Faces Misconduct Complaint Over Remarks About Abortion Doctor
A complaint filed Monday alleges that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita violated professional conduct rules in statements he made about a doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim last year. The Indiana Supreme Court’s disciplinary commission references an interview Rokita gave in July 2022 about Dr. Caitlin Bernard on a Fox News show, The Indianapolis Star reported. (9/18)
Fox News: Abortion Chatbot Charley Helps Women End Their Pregnancies: 'Let's Get Started'
For those women who are considering terminating their pregnancies, a new chatbot called Charley aims to help them start the process of getting an abortion. The chatbot, which launched on Sept. 12, is available on Charley’s website, greeting visitors with the message, "Need an abortion? Let’s get started." On its website, Charley is described as "designed by abortion experts, made for abortion seekers." (Rudy, 9/19)
In other reproductive health news —
The Oklahoman: MRIs As Well As Mammograms Can Be Required For Dense Breast Tissue
A randomized study of 40,000 women with extremely dense breast tissue found that those who had mammograms followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans had more tumors detected than with mammography alone. The research, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, also found that supplemental MRI screening was much more effective at detecting so-called interval cancers, growths that would become symptomatic before the next routine screening. (Cohen and James, 9/19)
Stat: FDA Panel To Weigh Safety Of Artificial Wombs For Preterm Births
The artificial womb, a device aiming to save infants born way too soon, is inching closer to being tested in humans. The technology is close enough to reality that the Food and Drug Administration has decided to convene a two-day panel starting Tuesday to discuss how to best evaluate safety and effectiveness, as well as the ethical quandaries in running clinical trials. The second day will be closed to the public to shield trade secrets. (Lawrence, 9/19)
