Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Backdoor Ban' In Megabill Will Likely Cripple Abortion Access In Blue States
The Guardian: Planned Parenthood CEO Warns Budget Bill Could Devastate Group And Slash Abortion Access In Blue States
Planned Parenthood stands to lose roughly $700m in federal funding if the US House passes Republicans’ massive spending-and-tax bill, the organization’s CEO said on Wednesday, amounting to what abortion rights supporters and opponents alike have called a “backdoor abortion ban." “We are facing down the reality that nearly 200 health centers are at risk of closure. We’re facing a reality of the impact on shutting down almost half of abortion-providing health centers,” Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood Federation of America's CEO, said in an interview Wednesday morning. The provision attacking Planned Parenthood would primarily target clinics in blue states that have protected abortion rights since the overturning of Roe v Wade three years ago, because those blue states have larger numbers of people on Medicaid. (Sherman, 7/2)
Wisconsin strikes down its 176-year-old abortion ban —
Politico: Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down State’s 1849 Abortion Ban
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban in a 4-3 ruling, saying that it was superseded by a more recent state law criminalizing abortions only in cases when a fetus is viable outside the womb. The decision by the liberal-leaning majority of the court marks the end of a three-year battle over abortion in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, nullifying federal abortion protections and kick-starting a fight over whether the Supreme Court decision effectively reactivated the state’s 1849 ban. (Ruhiyyih Ewing, 7/2)
In other abortion updates —
Idaho Capital Sun: ‘End The Ban:’ Idaho Organizers Start Gathering Signatures For Abortion Rights Ballot Initiative
Signature gathering has started for Idaho's abortion rights ballot initiative, which could end the state's strict abortion ban laws. (Pfannenstiel, 7/3)
Kansas City Star: ACLU Sues To Block Proposed Missouri Abortion Ban
The ACLU of Missouri on Wednesday sued to block a proposed abortion ban from reaching the statewide ballot next year, marking the first major legal challenge intended to halt a Republican-led attempt to ban abortions again in Missouri. (Bayless, 7/2)
Nebraska Examiner: Nebraska Abortions Rise 7% Same Year Voters Cement Restrictions
The same year Nebraskans voted to cement an abortion ban beyond the first trimester into the state constitution, the number of abortions performed in Nebraska rose about 7.6%. According to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services, at least 2,501 abortions were performed in Nebraska in 2024. That’s 176 higher than 2023’s total of 2,325 abortions in one year. Since 2020, Nebraska’s abortion rate has remained relatively level between about 2,300 to 2,500 procedures per year. All the while, the state’s abortion policy has fluctuated more wildly. (Bamer, 7/2)
