Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden-Harris Election Campaign Will Champion Abortion Rights
CBS News: Biden-Harris Campaign To Unveil New Effort To Push Abortion Rights Advocacy Ahead Of Roe Anniversary
President Biden's reelection campaign is preparing to highlight abortion rights in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision, CBS News has learned, seeking to tie the upcoming election to a "woman's right to make her own health care decisions — including the very possible reality of a MAGA Republican-led national abortion ban." The extensive plans include ad buys, campaign rallies and events across the U.S. organized in lockstep with the Democratic National Committee, which will launch opinion pieces in local newspapers focusing on statewide abortion bans. (Cordes, Mizelle, and Gómez, 1/18)
Axios: Roe V. Wade Anniversary Reheats Abortion Wars
Roe v. Wade may be history but Monday's anniversary of the 1973 decision is providing a potent rallying point for both sides in the abortion wars. Amid a showdown over funding the government, House Republican leaders brought up a pair of symbolic bills they said would protect pregnant women's rights but that Democrats contend would further erode abortion access. (Knight, 1/19)
The New York Times: What To Know About The Federal Law At The Heart Of The Latest Supreme Court Abortion Case
One of the newest battlefields in the abortion debate is a decades-old federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, known by doctors and health policymakers as EMTALA. The issue involves whether the law requires hospital emergency rooms to provide abortions in urgent circumstances, including when a woman’s health is threatened by continuing her pregnancy. But, as with many abortion-related arguments, this one could have broader implications. Some legal experts say it could potentially determine how restrictive state abortion laws are allowed to be and whether states can prevent emergency rooms from providing other types of medical care, such as gender-affirming treatments. (Belluck, 1/18)
More abortion news —
The Hill: Biggs Bill Tells Providers To Display Ultrasound Images To Those Seeking An Abortion
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation Thursday to “ensure” pregnant people receive an ultrasound and are offered a chance to see its images before consenting to an abortion. The legislation says abortion providers “shall” perform an ultrasound, “provide a complete medical description of the ultrasound images” — including size of the embryo and whether there is cardiac activity — and show the images to the mother. (Suter, 1/18)
The Texas Tribune: In Amarillo, A Petition Forces The Abortion Travel Ban Issue
Ever since the so-called abortion travel ban crossed the desks of Amarillo’s city leaders in October, a majority of members did something very few municipal Texas lawmakers before them have — questioned it. Ordinances banning motorists from using city roads to transport women en route to an abortion have already passed in Odessa and Little-River Academy, as well as Lubbock, Cochran, Goliad, Mitchell and Dawson counties. (Carver, 1/18)
The 19th: Missouri Advocates Launch Ballot Measure Campaign To Restore Abortion Access
A coalition of abortion rights advocates in Missouri is formally launching a campaign to pass a constitutional amendment restoring a right to abortion, one of two ballot measure efforts in the state this year. (Panetta, 1/18)
AP: March For Life: Anti-Abortion Activists Brace For Challenges Ahead
A year ago, anti-abortion activists from across the U.S. gathered for their annual March for Life with reason to celebrate: It was their first march since the Supreme Court, seven months earlier, had overturned the nationwide right to abortion. At this year’s march, on Friday, the mood will be very different — reflecting formidable challenges that lie ahead in this election year. (Crary, 1/18)
In other reproductive health news —
Military.com: Navy Redesigns Its Pregnancy Policy To Give Sailors More Choice, Career Stability
The Navy revamped its pregnancy policy this week into an opportunity for sailors to negotiate a new assignment that's far more like a regular rotation instead of a cursory transfer to a nearby, available shore-duty opening. The new policy, unveiled in an administrative message Tuesday, says that sailors who become pregnant while on sea duty will now be able to choose two-year orders to a shore command that lines up with their needs and careers. (Toropin, 1/18)
CBS News: SEIU MN & IA Members Ratify Agreement With Planned Parenthood For First Union Contract
SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa members who work at Planned Parenthood North Central States ratified their first tentative agreement on Wednesday evening, which they are calling "historic." The agreement was ratified with 84% support from members. The three-year agreement goes into effect immediately, retroactive to Jan. 1. (Lofgren, 1/18)
WFSU: Care For Florida Moms And Expectant Parents Is At The Center Of Health Bills
In Florida, finding care during pregnancy and in the year following birth can be a struggle. This session, the Republican-controlled Legislature is working to address that with measures that would shrink maternity care deserts and by looking for ways to better educate the public. But some Democrats say the state is also moving forward with rules that are making access to care harder and in some cases putting the life of pregnant people in danger. (McCarthy, 1/18)
North Carolina Health News: Experts Of Color Gather To Tackle The Black Maternal Health Gap
Ten days after Jonisha Brown gave birth to her second son, she was sitting at home talking with a “well-wisher” who came to see her and the new baby. All of a sudden, she said, she felt a strange pressure in her chest. It was a feeling Brown, a family medicine physician in Charlotte, had never experienced before and one that wouldn’t go away. The sensation developed into uncontrollable vomiting and shortness of breath. (Crumpler, 1/19)
