Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Both Sides Rack Up Wins On Battlefield Over Women's Health In The States
Stateline: Flurry Of Laws Enacted On Women’s Access To Health Care
As Washington moved to reduce federal funding for women’s health this year, adversaries in the war over affordable birth control and other women’s health services shifted the battleground to state capitals — resulting in a spate of new laws that both expand and contract women’s access to care. ... Medicaid pays for three-quarters of all publicly supported women’s health programs. So when Iowa abruptly cut off Medicaid dollars to Planned Parenthood, it was game over, said Jodi Tomlonovik, executive director of the Family Planning Counsel of Iowa, which oversees distribution of federal and state money to women’s health clinics. (Vestal, 7/24)
Reuters: U.S. Abortion Support Groups Put On More Public Face
Patricia Canon drives poor rural Kentucky women to distant abortion clinics each week, part of a national army of volunteers who are growing bolder even as abortion foes ratchet up opposition to the activists they have branded as "accomplices to murder." The Kentucky Health Justice Network, where she volunteers, is one of dozens of non-profit U.S. abortion funds providing money for procedures or covering travel costs to help women obtain abortions, particularly in states where Republican-backed laws have narrowed options. (Kenning, 7/22)
The Washington Post: Dying After Childbirth: Women In Texas Are At High Risk, Especially If They’re Black
Black women in Texas are dying with frightening frequency after childbirth — at a rate up to nearly three times higher than that of white women. And no one has figured out why. In a state with the worst overall maternal mortality in the nation, the Texas legislature opened a special session this week that will address the issue as one of 20 items that Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) listed in calling lawmakers back to work. The most they may do, however, is extend and expand the scope of a task force that started studying the problem a few years ago. (Murgia, 7/21)
The Associated Press: Tennessee Inmates Get Reduced Sentences For Birth Control
A program in a Tennessee county reduces inmates’ jail time if they voluntarily undergo birth control procedures, in a move that has drawn criticism from the local district attorney and the American Civil Liberties Union. WTVF-TV reports General Sessions Judge Sam Benninfield signed a standing order in May that provides 30 days’ credit toward jail time for men who agree to free vasectomies in White County and women who agree to receive free Nexplanon implants, which prevent pregnancies for up to four years. (7/21)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Fed Cuts In Teen Pregnancy Grants Hamstrings Georgia Recipients
Quest for Change, a youth and family development-focused nonprofit run out of tiny Dawson, Ga., trained Jackson and other teenagers in how to discuss pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and healthy relationships with their peers. ... [Shaunae] Motley’s organization and 80 others across the country were recently notified by the federal Department of Health and Human Services that the five-year grants they applied for and won in 2015 would be cut off two years ahead of schedule. (Hallerman and Hart, 7/21)
Austin American-Statesman: Abortion-Related Bills Sent To Full Senate For A Vote
The state Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved five bills Friday, the first of the legislative session to be sent to a full chamber for a vote since Gov. Greg Abbott expanded the scope of the agenda early Thursday. Three of the bills dealt with abortion and passed on a party-line 6-3 vote. (Chang and Silver, 7/21)
