Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Appeals Court Strikes Down Idaho's Ban On Abortions After 20 Weeks
Los Angeles Times: U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down Idaho Law Banning Abortions After 20 Weeks
Three federal judges have unanimously struck down an Idaho law that banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Jennie McCormack, the plaintiff in the case, was arrested in 2011 for taking a pack of five pills to end a pregnancy. Surgical abortions were not available in southeast Idaho, where she lived, according to court documents. Instead of undergoing an inpatient procedure, which would have required McCormack to travel more than 150 miles, crossing the Utah state line, to Salt Lake City, she used a combination of medicine to induce an abortion in her home. (Shepherd, 5/30)
The Hill: Court Nixes Idaho's 20-Week Abortion Plan
A federal appeals court on Friday struck down an Idaho law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, ruling the law unconstitutional. The ruling comes a few weeks after the U.S. House passed legislation that would ban abortions after the same timespan, sending it to the Senate. (Sullivan, 5/29)
Politico Pro: Appeals Court Declares Idaho Abortion Ban Unconstitutional
An Idaho law that bans abortions after 20 weeks was ruled unconstitutional Friday by a federal appeals court. The ruling comes just two weeks after the House of Representatives passed a similar federal ban and a day after South Carolina’s state Senate advanced its own measure. Fourteen states have enacted 20-week abortion bans, through courts have blocked them in three. (Mershon, 5/29)
Meanwhile, in related news from the polling front -
Politico: Pro-Choice Outpolls Pro-Life For First Time In 7 Years
For the first time in seven years, Americans who are “pro-choice” hold a statistically significant lead over Americans who are “pro-life.” According to a new Gallup poll, 50 percent of Americans now call themselves pro-choice, including 54 percent of women and 46 percent of men. Only 44 percent of respondents labeled themselves pro-life, the lowest response in more than five years. (Lerner, 5/29)
