Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arizona Lawmaker Opens Up About Abortion Plan For Nonviable Pregnancy
AP: Arizona Lawmaker Says She Announced Plans To Get An Abortion To Underscore Out-Of-Touch Laws
A pregnant Arizona lawmaker who revealed in a speech at the state Senate that she was planning to get an abortion says she wanted to share with her colleagues and the public the practical effects of abortion restrictions passed over the years. Democratic Sen. Eva Burch of Mesa told fellow lawmakers in a floor speech Monday that she was going to get an abortion because her pregnancy is no longer viable. The first-term lawmaker, who previously worked as a nurse practitioner at a women’s health clinic, described a “rough journey” with fertility and recounted a miscarriage she had suffered. (Billeaud, 3/19)
The Hill: Democratic Group Argued State Legislatures Are ‘Arbiters Of Reproductive Freedom’ In New Memo
A Democratic group that works to expand party control within state Capitols is arguing in a new memo that state legislatures are the “arbiters of reproductive freedom.” Heather Williams, president of Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), said in a new memo that “we are always just one Supreme Court decision away from a state law being catapulted to the national stage—like the Mississippi abortion ban that Dobbs upheld.” (Vakil, 3/20)
Vox: The Post-Roe Abortion Paradox
The first underlying factor is that travel out of state for abortion has gone up, offsetting some of the newer restrictions in states with bans. More than 160,000 people crossed state lines to end pregnancies in 2023, per Guttmacher, almost double the number who did so in 2020.This isn’t to say the burden of state restrictions has been offset. “Even if people can travel, doing so comes with significant financial and logistical cost,” Isaac Maddow-Zimet, the lead researcher at Guttmacher, told me. “And it’s only been possible because there’s been a lot of support from folks like abortion funds, and we don’t know how sustainable that [funding] will be long-term.” (Cohen, 3/20)
The CT Mirror: CT Bill Would Protect Those At Religious Hospitals Who Offer Care Info
Medical providers who work for religiously affiliated hospitals or other health care centers and provide counseling or referrals on reproductive care would be protected from dismissal, suspension, or penalties under a bill that is being considered by the legislature’s Public Health Committee. (Carlesso, 3/19)
On birth control, IVF, and fetal tissue research —
CBS News: Women In New York Can Now Buy Birth Control Without A Prescription, Hochul Announces
With a stroke of a pen Tuesday morning, Gov. Kathy Hochul guaranteed birth control access for women in New York. "It's a new day. You now have access, easy access to the contraception you need to suit your needs because it is your body and it is your choice," Hochul said. As of Tuesday, all pharmacies across the state are allowed to dispense three types of contraception: The pill, ring or patch. Women in New York, or even those just visiting New York, can purchase up to a year's supply without visiting a doctor. (Moore, 3/19)
Bloomberg: IVF Is Still Legal But Anti-Abortion Laws Could Change That
At a Republican retreat in West Virginia last week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said his party would “protect and preserve” access to IVF. Yet three months prior, he championed a federal law that would’ve deemed a fertilized egg a person, effectively banning the practice. The backpedaling came in response to national furor over an Alabama case that prompted fertility clinics in the state to halt IVF procedures. (Brown, Butler, and Mekelburg, 3/19)
Stat: Cancer, Immunology, HIV Research Ensnared In Fetal Tissue Politics
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have spent years trying to unravel the details of Down syndrome: What happens inside the womb, how the genetic disorder alters the formation of neurons, and what specific processes affect brain development. The work can’t proceed without studying fetal tissue. (Goldhill, 3/20)
