Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Court: Oklahoma Isn't Entitled To HHS Funds Intended For Abortion Referrals
AP: Supreme Court Won't Allow Oklahoma To Reclaim Federal Money In Dispute Over Abortion Referrals
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Oklahoma’s emergency appeal seeking to restore a $4.5 million grant for family planning services in an ongoing dispute over the state’s refusal to refer pregnant women to a nationwide hotline that provides information about abortion and other options. The brief order did not detail the court’s reasoning, as is typical, but says three justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch — would have sided with Oklahoma. Lower courts had ruled that the federal Health and Human Services Department’s decision to cut off Oklahoma from the funds did not violate federal law. (Sherman, 9/3)
In other Supreme Court news —
The Hill: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Discloses Daughter’s Autism Diagnosis
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson opened up about her struggles into parenthood, particularly as the mother of an autistic child, in her new memoir. The passage in “Lovely One,” marks the first time Jackson has publicly disclosed her eldest daughter’s diagnosis. (Daniels, 9/3)
More reproductive health news —
AP: Nebraska Supreme Court Will Hear Lawsuit Challenging Measure To Expand Abortion Rights
The Nebraska Supreme Court has agreed to expedite a hearing on a lawsuit that could keep voters from deciding whether to expand abortion rights in the state. The court has set a hearing for next Monday for arguments over the suit filed by the conservative nonprofit Thomas More Society, according to court records. The secretary of state said last month that the measure had received enough signatures to appear on the November ballot. (Funk, 9/3)
Politico: Democrats Target Trump’s Muddled Abortion Message
The Harris campaign launched a bus tour on reproductive rights in the former president’s adopted home state of Florida, where abortion laws are a centerpiece of the forthcoming election. (Leonard, 9/3)
The Washington Post: How Democrats Made Project 2025 One Of Their Top Anti-Republican Attacks
No one expected the 922-page policy document to go viral. The conservative Heritage Foundation quietly began working on Project 2025 in 2022, pulling together a wish list of far-right policy proposals the group hoped former president Donald Trump would enact if he won back the White House. The report was published with little notice in 2023. (Parker and Reston, 9/4)
The Washington Post: In Key Shift, More Men In Red States Speak Out Against Abortion Bans
More men are speaking out in defense of reproductive rights because of harrowing experiences that wives or partners have suffered when a pregnancy went awry. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 9/3)
Stat: Birth Control Access Is A Growing Issue, So Advocates Get Creative
A typical vending machine on a university campus might offer students the usual range of sodas, Sunchips, and Skittles. But a vending machine installed earlier this year at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, has a unique offering: Plan B pills. (Nayak, 9/4)
The Wall Street Journal: The Overlooked Condition Endangering Pregnant Women And New Mothers
Preeclampsia, marked by a sudden increase in blood pressure, is on the rise. Yet there’s little research about the life-threatening disorder. (McKay, 9/3)
