Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden To Issue Executive Order Preserving Elements Of Abortion Access
AP: Facing Pressure, Biden To Sign Order On Abortion Access
President Joe Biden will take executive action Friday to protect access to abortion, according to three people familiar with the matter, as he faces mounting pressure from Democrats to be more forceful on the subject after the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to the procedure two weeks ago. Biden will speak Friday morning “on protecting access to reproductive health care services,” the sources said. The actions he was expected to outline are intended to try to mitigate some potential penalties women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but are limited in their ability to safeguard access to abortion nationwide. (Kim and Miller, 7/8)
Politico: Biden To Sign Abortion Rights Executive Order Amid Pressure
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Friday morning directing his health department to expand access to abortion pills, beef up enforcement of Obamacare’s birth control coverage mandate and organize a cadre of pro bono lawyers to help defend people criminally charged for seeking or providing the procedure. The administration will also “consider” several additional actions to shore up privacy rights for patients using digital apps like period trackers and those who are now at risk of being reported to law enforcement by a medical provider. They will also “consider” strengthening protections for doctors performing abortions in medical emergencies by updating the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, and plan to stand up another interagency task force that includes the Attorney General. (Miranda Ollstein, 7/8)
The Hill: Feinstein Says She’d Vote For Filibuster Carve-Out To Codify Abortion Rights
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Thursday said she supports the Senate removing the procedural filibuster rule in order to codify abortion rights into law. Feinstein said she “certainly would vote” to support a carve-out to the filibuster to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and codify federal-level abortion protections. (Dress, 7/7)
Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss abortion access —
Indianapolis Star: Kamala Harris To Meet With Indiana Democrat On Abortion Access
Indiana House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington D.C. on Friday to discuss how best to safeguard abortion access, along with lawmakers from other states poised to significantly restrict abortion access in the coming weeks. (Lange, 7/8)
AP: Indiana's Abortion Laws May Tighten Before Legislature Acts
Indiana’s abortion laws will likely be tightened even before the Legislature is expected to start debating additional abortion restrictions later this month. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana conceded defeat Friday in their fight to block two anti-abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month to end constitutional protection for abortion. That led the state attorney general’s office on Wednesday to ask U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker in Indianapolis to sign off on orders that would lift her injunctions that have prevented enforcement of those laws. (Davies, 7/7)
In related news about lawmaking —
KHN: The Push For Abortion Lawmaking After ‘Dobbs’ Is Unique, Legal And Political Experts Say
The end of nationwide abortion protections has been met with a wave of calls from lawmakers and governors in at least a dozen states for special legislative sessions that would reshape the state-by-state patchwork of laws that now govern abortion in the U.S. “I haven’t seen so many states focusing their attention so quickly on one issue,” said Thad Kousser, a professor who studies state politics. (Zionts, 7/8)
Stateline: Without Obergefell, Most States Would Have Same-Sex Marriage Bans
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, but in most states, laws or constitutional amendments would revive the prohibition if the high court decides, as it did with abortion, that such unions are not a constitutionally protected right. Thirty-five states ban same-sex marriage in their constitutions, state law, or both, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and Stateline research. (Povich, 7/7)
European leaders condemn the fall of Roe v. Wade —
AP: EU Parliament Condemns US Abortion Ruling, Seeks Safeguards
The European Union’s parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly condemned the end of constitutional protections for abortion in the United States and called for such safeguards to be enshrined in the EU’s fundamental rights charter. In a 324-155 vote with 38 abstentions, European Parliament lawmakers adopted a resolution that crystalized the anger seen in many of the EU’s 27 member countries since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling on June 24. (Casert, 7/7)
NBC News: A Dutch Doctor And The Internet Are Making Sure Americans Have Access To Abortion Pills
Aid Access, an online-only service run by a Dutch physician, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, began shipping abortion pills to Americans from abroad four years ago. The organization’s team consists of about four doctors supervising about 10 medical staff members, and they’re difficult for U.S. authorities to reach because all are outside the country and they ship pills from a pharmacy in India. (Ingram, 7/7)
