Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bill To Codify Federal Abortion Rights Introduced In Senate
The Hill: Bipartisan Senators Introduce Bill To Codify Abortion Rights
A bipartisan group of senators on Monday introduced legislation that would codify the right to an abortion into federal law, but it faces an uncertain future. The bill from Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) comes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights case, and left the authority to regulate the procedure to individual states. (Weixel, 8/1)
Bangor Daily News: Susan Collins Releases Bipartisan Abortion-Rights Bill That Remains Unlikely To Pass
The new measure emerged from talks between the Maine Republican and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, after Collins joined all Republicans and one Democrat in May to block a more sweeping abortion-rights bill advanced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York. (Shepherd, 8/1)
Anchorage Daily News: Murkowski Joins Bipartisan Group Introducing Bill Protecting Abortion, Contraception Rights
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Monday joined a bipartisan coalition to introduce a bill that would protect abortion and contraception access. The measure faces an uncertain future in a Senate that failed to pass a broader measure enshrining abortion rights in May. It also comes as Murkowski faces reelection this fall, with abortion emerging as a key issue in that campaign. (Rogerson and Samuels, 8/1)
Bloomberg Government: Bipartisan Roe Bill Still Has Uphill Fight
Still, the bipartisan measure—titled the ‘‘Reproductive Freedom for All Act”—isn’t likely to have the 60 votes needed to pass most bills in the Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) hasn’t yet said whether the chamber would vote on the bill. NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju in a statement called the bill a “political stunt” and added that “unless these senators are willing to end the filibuster to pass this measure, there’s no reason to take it seriously.” (Lee, 8/2)
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Politico: Data Brokers Resist Pressure To Stop Collecting Info On Pregnant People
Democratic lawmakers are piling pressure on data brokers to stop collecting information on pregnant people in order to protect those seeking abortions. They’re not having much luck. For years, brokers have sold datasets on millions of expectant parents from their trimester status to their preferred birth methods. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, that same data is becoming a political issue, with abortion-rights groups warning that states with abortion bans are likely to weaponize it. (Ng, 8/1)
