Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Case Over Missouri's Last-Remaining Abortion Clinic Gets Day In Court
The Associated Press: Hearing Begins On Fate Of Missouri's Lone Abortion Clinic
The fate of Missouri's only abortion clinic is at stake starting Monday, when a member of the state's Administrative Hearing Commission will begin hearing arguments over whether the clinic can keep its abortion license. The hearing at a downtown St. Louis state office building is expected to last five days. Missouri officials have asked St. Louis police for heightened security since the licensing issue has generated protests from those on both sides of the debate. (10/28)
The Wall Street Journal: Hearing To Decide Fate Of Missouri’s Only Abortion Clinic
The hearing before the Administrative Hearing Commission is the latest salvo between the Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Citing patient safety concerns, the health department declined to renew the clinic’s license earlier this year. After Planned Parenthood challenged the decision in a St. Louis Circuit Court, a federal judge kicked the case to the Administrative Hearing Commission in June. (Calfas, 10/27)
CNN: States Passed A Flurry Of New Abortion Restrictions This Year. Here's Where They Stand
Abortion regulations were in the news earlier this year, with highly restrictive state bans making national headlines. Republican-leaning states, emboldened by the conservative-majority Supreme Court and efforts by the Trump administration to roll back abortion protections, have pushed more extreme limitations to the procedure. But where are those laws now? The short answer: Nowhere. (Kelly, 10/27)
NBC News: Sex-Selective Abortions: Reproductive Rights Are Being Pitted Against Gender Equality
When Dr. Colleen McNicholas treats a woman seeking an abortion in Missouri, she must, under penalty of law, ask a series of uncomfortable questions probing why the woman wants the procedure, including if it’s because of the fetus's gender. That question, which she said patients find “absurd” and “completely inappropriate,” is a requirement that was left intact by a Missouri federal judge who halted several other restrictive measures, such as a ban on abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, in May in an effort to block abortion access. (Ali, 10/27)
Health News Florida: Florida Parental Consent Abortion Bill Has Tougher Road In Senate
Girls younger than 18 would need consent from a parent or guardian before getting an abortion under a bill approved by a Florida House committee this week that will head to a full chamber vote when the annual session begins in January. The bill was given only one committee stop — a rarity for legislation and a signal that it’s a high priority for Republican House leadership. The House Health and Human Services Committee approved it on a party line vote. But the bill has a tougher battle in the Florida Senate: Three committees would have to approve the bill. (Farrington, Urban and Aboraya, 10/25)
