Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arizona Supreme Court Rules To Pause Enforcement Of 1864 Abortion Ban
Arizona Mirror: Enforcement Of Arizona's 1864 Abortion Ban Delayed Until Late September
The Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to delay the enforcement of a 160-year-old abortion ban that mandates prison time for doctors, granting women and health care providers across the state a reprieve until September. In doing so, the court granted a request from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who asked the justices to delay the implementation of the court’s April 9 ruling on the Civil War-era abortion ban so she could craft an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Gomez, 5/13)
The Hill: Mail-Order Abortion Pills Safe And Effective: Study
Medication abortion pills — mifepristone and misoprostol — are effective and run a low risk of causing serious adverse events when mailed to patients, a new study shows. The study, published Monday in the peer-reviewed publication JAMA Internal Medicine, looks at the experiences of more than 500 people who wanted to end a pregnancy between January 2020 and May 2022. (O’Connell-Domenech, 5/13)
The Hill: Nearly Two-Thirds Of Americans Want Abortion Access: Pew Poll
Almost two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, most Americans still support abortion access. About 6 in 10 Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of 8,709 adults released Monday. The share of American adults who believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases has increased by 4 percentage points since 2021, according to Pew. (O’Connell-Domenech, 5/13)
In other reproductive health news —
Axios: Louisiana Attempts To Criminalize Unprescribed Possession Of Abortion Pills
Louisiana is moving to criminalize possession of two medications used to induce abortion without a prescription, with punishments including prison time. If approved, Louisiana would become the first state to categorize mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances, a class of drugs that includes medications that can be abused such as narcotics, steroids and depressants. (Habeshian, 5/13)
Stateline: The Number Of Births Continues To Fall, Despite Abortion Bans
Births continued a historic slide in all but two states last year, making it clear that a brief post-pandemic uptick in the nation’s birth numbers was all about planned pregnancies that had been delayed temporarily by COVID-19. Only Tennessee and North Dakota had small increases in births from 2022 to 2023, according to a Stateline analysis of provisional federal data on births. In California, births dropped by 5%, or nearly 20,000, for the year. And as is the case in most other states, there will be repercussions now and later for schools and the workforce, said Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California who follows birth trends. (Henderson, 5/14)
The Texas Tribune: IVF Under Fire In Texas Divorce Case
The Texas Supreme Court is considering whether to take up a case that could have Alabama-esque impacts on in vitro fertilization in Texas. What began as a Denton divorce has grown into a larger battle over whether a frozen embryo can be defined as a person. The court has not yet said whether it will take up the case, which centers on three frozen embryos created by Caroline and Gaby Antoun. (Klibanoff, 5/13)
Los Angeles Times: Younger Patients Sought Vasectomies After Roe Vs. Wade Overturned
Kori Thompson had long wrestled with the idea of having a child. The 24-year-old worried about the world a kid would face as climate change overtook the globe, fearing the environmental devastation and economic strain that could follow. He had been thinking about getting a vasectomy ever since he learned about the sterilization procedure from a television show. (Reyes, 5/14)
AP: Kentucky Governor To Speak Out Against Strict Abortion Ban In Neighboring Tennessee
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s upcoming trip to neighboring Tennessee to speak out against that state’s sweeping abortion ban is the latest sign that the Democrat known for defeating Donald Trump-backed rivals is looking to improve his party’s prospects in GOP territory and build up his own name recognition. Beshear — who campaigned against his state’s near-total abortion ban in winning reelection last year — will speak next month at an event called “Championing Reproductive Freedom.” (Schreiner, 5/13)
Also —
Iowa Public Radio: University Of Iowa Shuts Down Sexual Assault Survivor Service
The Rape Victim Advocacy Program has provided support for survivors of sexual assault for more than 50 years. An IPR News investigation reveals how its abrupt closure came about and how that puts those services for 10% of the state’s population in jeopardy. (Smith, 5/13)
