Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Anti-Abortion Groups Press Congress To Defund Planned Parenthood
AP: Anti-Abortion Groups Aim To End Planned Parenthood Funding And Suggest Musk's DOGE To Get It Done
Major anti-abortion groups gathered in the nation’s capital on Thursday to begin a lobbying effort with Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration aimed at eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood, with some calling on Elon Musk to make the organization one of his cost-cutting targets. (3/27)
Abortion news from Kentucky, Texas, Maine, New York, and Maryland —
Kentucky Lantern: With Veto Override, Republican Lawmakers Add New Details To Kentucky’s Abortion Ban
The Kentucky General Assembly has overturned Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill meant to clarify the state’s abortion ban, which some doctors said fell short of that goal. House Bill 90 will immediately add to Kentucky law an itemized list of certain conditions under which doctors can legally end a pregnancy — including during hemorrhage, ectopic and molar pregnancies. It will also make it possible for Kentucky to have freestanding birth centers. Doctors previously told the Lantern that the bill doesn’t clarify the ban for them and causes more confusion about when they can legally perform an emergency abortion. (Ladd, 3/27)
The Texas Tribune: Critics: Texas Bill To Clarify Abortion Ban Won’t Save Lives
A bipartisan bill to clarify exceptions to the state’s near-total abortion ban garnered widespread support Thursday from health care professionals and abortion opponents who said the bill would remove any hesitation doctors might have to save a pregnant woman’s life. Critics, meanwhile, told lawmakers that Senate Bill 31 doesn’t go far enough to protect women facing pregnancy-related medical emergencies and even quietly resurrects 160-year-old laws that could be used to criminalize those who have undergone an abortion or have helped those who receive an out-of-state abortion. (Salhotra and Klibanoff, 3/27)
Maine Morning Star: GOP Legislators In Maine Want To Overturn Abortion Law, From Total Ban To Mifepristone Restrictions
Republican legislators are proposing a number of changes to the state’s abortion laws, including a total ban, removing health insurance coverage and rolling back access to mifepristone. The Judiciary Committee is hearing public testimony starting at 9:30 a.m. on Friday on seven of these bills. Abortion is legal in Maine up to the point of fetal viability, or around 24 weeks of pregnancy. (Davis, 3/28)
The New York Times: New York County Clerk Blocks Texas Court Filing Against Doctor Over Abortion Pills
A New York county clerk on Thursday blocked Texas from filing a legal action against a New York doctor for prescribing and sending abortion pills to a Texas woman. The unprecedented move catapults the interstate abortion wars to a new level, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle between states that ban abortion and states that support abortion rights. (Belluck, 3/27)
The Baltimore Sun: Anti-Abortion Advocates Rally In Spite Of Battles Lost In Maryland
Hundreds of anti-abortion advocates filled the streets of Annapolis Thursday evening to reaffirm their stance against legislation that expands access to abortion care. “Things are challenging here in Maryland,” said Jeffrey Trimbath, president of the Maryland Family Institute, “but we are here this year. We’re going to be back next year and the year after that, and why is that? Because we are not going to stop fighting for the unborn.” (Jones, 3/27)
In other reproductive health news —
WUFT: Pregnancy Stress Effects May Last Into The Offspring's Adulthood, Study Shows
Maternal stress during pregnancy is more than just a short-term concern — it can leave a lasting imprint on offspring, too. A recent study from scientists in Germany looked at macaques, a type of monkey, and discovered that stress hormones during the first half of pregnancy can have a profound impact on how the offspring develop, going so far as to alter their stress response for years to come. (Hagmajer, 3/27)
