Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Alabama Could Prosecute Patients For Taking Abortion Pills, Attorney General Says
AL.com: Women Can Be Prosecuted For Taking Abortion Pills, Says Alabama Attorney General
One week after the federal government made it easier to get abortion pills, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Tuesday that women in Alabama who use those pills to end pregnancies could be prosecuted. That’s despite wording in Alabama’s new Human Life Protection Act that criminalizes abortion providers and prevents its use against the people receiving abortions. Instead, the attorney general’s office said Alabama could rely on an older law, one initially designed to protect children from meth lab fumes. (Yurkanin, 1/10)
The Hill: Alabama AG Says Women Could Be Prosecuted For Taking Abortion Pills
In a statement to The Hill, a spokesman for state Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) said individuals could instead face charges under Alabama’s chemical endangerment law, which was passed in 2006 to protect children from exposure to chemicals and fumes from home meth labs. Prosecutors have since extended the law so it applies to pregnant people who took any drugs while pregnant or exposed their fetuses to drugs. (Weixel. 1/11)
In other news relating to abortion from across the country —
AP: New Push To Restrict Abortions To Be Introduced In Nebraska
A Nebraska lawmaker who sponsored a failed total abortion ban last year announced Wednesday that she will introduce a new bill this week that would ban abortion once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, which is generally around the sixth week of pregnancy. (Beck, 1/11)
AP: Montana Seeking Prior Authorization For Medicaid Abortions
State officials in Republican-controlled Montana want to require prior authorization before its health department pays for abortions for people covered by Medicaid, a proposal critics say would reduce access and delay or even prevent abortion care for low-income women in the state. (Beth Hanson, 1/12)
New Hampshire Bulletin: Abortion Access Expands In NH In Part Due To Telehealth
A recent federal rule change will expand access to abortion care by allowing pharmacies, no longer just clinics, to dispense abortion pills, which can be used to terminate a pregnancy up to 11 weeks. But it’s local providers who may give even greater access with the introduction of telehealth appointments. (Timmins, 1/11)
KHN: Bleeding And In Pain, A Pregnant Woman In Louisiana Couldn’t Get Answers
When Kaitlyn Joshua found out she was pregnant in mid-August, she and her husband, Landon Joshua, were excited to have a second baby on the way. They have a 4-year-old daughter and thought that was just the right age to help with a younger sibling. At about six weeks pregnant, Joshua, 30, called a physician group in Baton Rouge. She wanted to make her first prenatal appointment there for around the eight-week mark, as she had in her first pregnancy. But Joshua said the woman on the line told her she was going to have to wait over a month. (Westwood, 1/12)
The Washington Post: Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson Shares Story Of Stillborn Pregnancy
As Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) heard colleagues share personal experiences during abortion debates over her long career, the 80-year-old said, she considered telling her own story. But she said she didn’t want to relive her most painful incident. (Melnick and Alfaro, 1/12)
Also, concerning gender care, plus religion-affiliated hospital policies —
KHN: Despite Doctors’ Concerns, University Of California Renews Ties With Religious Affiliates
As the University of California’s health system renews contracts with hundreds of outside hospitals and clinics — many with religious affiliations — some of its doctors and faculty want stronger language to ensure that physicians can perform the treatments they deem appropriate, including abortions for women or hysterectomies for transgender patients. (Sciacca, 1/12)
AP: Wisconsin Republicans Look To Undo 'Conversion Therapy' Ban
Wisconsin Republicans planned to vote Thursday to again allow therapists, social workers and counselors to try to change their LGBTQ clients’ gender identities and sexual orientations, a practice known as conversion therapy. (Venhuizen, 1/12)
