Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Will Woo Businesses, Patients From Anti-Abortion States
San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Announces Plan To Lure Businesses To California From States That Ban Abortion
California Gov. Gavin Newsom previewed a plan to lure businesses to California from states that ban abortion on Wednesday, as well as new proposed spending on abortions. Newsom said his plan aims to “solidify California’s leadership on abortion rights.” “California will not stand idly by as extremists roll back our basic constitutional rights,” he wrote in a statement. “We’re going to fight like hell, making sure that all women — not just those in California — know that this state continues to recognize and protect their fundamental rights.” (Bollag, 5/11)
Los Angeles Times: California Could Subsidize Abortions For Uninsured, Out-Of-State Patients
California would set aside $40 million for abortion service providers to help cover uninsured residents and an expected influx of women from other states seeking care if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark ruling in Roe vs. Wade, under a plan unveiled Wednesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The subsidies are included in a $125-million plan Newsom will send to legislators on Friday as part of his revised state budget, money earmarked to expand access to abortions and prepare for more women seeking care in California if other states ban or severely limit abortion services. That amount includes an increase of $57 million beyond what was included in his January budget proposal. (Gutierrez, 5/11)
Abortion rights sought in New Jersey, Illinois, Utah, Connecticut, Iowa, and Wisconsin —
AP: NJ Looks To Expand Abortion Access
New Jersey would expand abortion access and require insurance companies to pay for the procedure under legislation proposed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday. Murphy vowed state agencies also won’t cooperate with other states that might try to prosecute New Jersey abortion providers or women who seek abortions here. (5/11)
AP: Pritzker Calls For Federal Law, Protests To Protect Abortion
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday urged Congress to act — and activists to take to the streets — to ensure abortion remains widely accessible even if the Supreme Court rolls back its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide. The Democratic governor spoke from a Planned Parenthood Regional Logistics Facility in the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis. He said the U.S. Senate must step up in defense of the personal health care decisions of women. A test vote Wednesday failed 51-49. (O'Connor, 5/11)
Salt Lake Tribune: Gov. Cox Says He Opposes Abortion Restrictions Beyond Utah’s Trigger Law
Inspired by a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that suggests the justices have enough votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, some Republican politicians across the country are working to pass severe restrictions on abortion, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says he is not one of them. “I’m very pleased with the law that’s on the books,” Cox said during a Tuesday news conference. The governor’s office later clarified that Cox was referring to Utah’s 2020 trigger law. If Roe v. Wade is reversed, the decision to regulate abortion will return to individual states. That prospect has lawmakers in several states racing to enact new restrictions or expand access to abortion, depending on which party is in control. Other states, like Utah, already have “trigger laws,” which will go into effect if Roe is reversed. (Schott, 5/11)
AP: Governor Candidate: No Abortion Law Change, But Tell Parents
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski issued a statement Wednesday saying he would not attempt to change existing law in Connecticut concerning abortion if he’s elected governor in November. However, the Madison businessman said the state “should consider” legislation that would impose a parental notification requirement for minors under age 16, except in cases of rape or incest. (Haigh, 5/11)
Des Moines Register: Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst Vote Against National Abortion Protections
Iowa currently bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. If Roe is indeed overturned, Iowans seeking abortions are protected by a separate 2018 decision from the Iowa Supreme Court that found abortion is protected as a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution. However, the Iowa court is hearing a case this year that could allow them to revisit and reverse that decision. Iowa Republicans have been largely united in their support for overturning Roe and restricting abortion. State lawmakers, led by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, are working to amend the Iowa Constitution so that it does not protect abortion — a process that will take at least until 2024. (Pfannenstiel, 5/11)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vos Backs Exception For Rape, Incest If Abortion Ban Goes Into Effect
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wants exceptions for rape and incest if Wisconsin's ban on abortion goes into effect this summer, but he said he doesn't know if his fellow Republicans will go along with that idea. Vos, of Rochester, said the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in the coming weeks will force lawmakers to consider numerous issues. Early in his political career, Vos backed a bill to ban emergency contraception like Plan B on college campuses and he said he may have to think about the idea anew. (Marley, 5/12)
Louisiana, Texas, and Ohio push harder against abortion —
AP: Debate Set On Bill That Could Jail Women Who Get Abortions
A bill scheduled for debate Thursday in the Louisiana House would make women who get abortions subject to criminal prosecution and prison — a position that has drawn opposition from Louisiana’s anti-abortion governor and groups including Louisiana Right to Life and the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops. Republican Rep. Danny McCormick is pushing the bill despite the crescendo of opposition from traditional supporters of abortion rights allies, for the moment, with some opponents of legal abortion. (McGill, 5/12)
AP: Louisiana Gov Slams Bill That Could Jail Women For Abortion
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat with a history of opposing abortion rights, came out Wednesday emphatically against legislation that could subject women to prosecution and prison for getting abortions. Edwards told a Baton Rouge civic club he would veto a measure by Rep. Danny McCormick, an Oil City Republican, according to news outlets. Later, he issued a statement calling the bill “anti-woman.” (5/11)
The Texas Tribune: Inside Texas’ Powerful Anti-Abortion Movement
Nearly 50 years ago, a high school freshman in Alief was in her sex education class when another student asked the teacher about abortion. It was the first time Kyleen Peloquen, then 14, had heard the word. With the teacher disinclined to provide details, she ran home to ask for an explanation. Her dad, a member of the school board, mumbled his way through a nonanswer. When she finally learned what abortion was, she made up her mind to stop it. (Harper and Klibanoff, 5/12)
AP: Social-Worker, Rights Groups Sue Ohio City Over Abortion Ban
Groups advocating for professional social workers and women’s rights challenged a small Ohio city’s ban on abortion Wednesday, arguing it is an “extraordinarily broad” infringement on the constitutional rights of due process and free speech. The lawsuit argues that the abortion restriction approved last May by the city of Lebanon, in southwest Ohio, should be declared illegal regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court follows through with a leaked opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. (5/11)
Also —
Axios: Medical Education Of Abortion Could Be Erased In Red States
A key piece of OB-GYN training — how to perform an abortion — could soon be stricken from medical schools' curriculum in states that make the practice illegal. A Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade would not only affect patients but drastically alter medical education and force young doctors to find workarounds to develop a skill deemed essential by professional bodies. "The implications for our field are devastating," Kavita Vinekar, assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Axios. (Reed and Gonzalez, 5/11)
