Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democrats Stress Abortion 'Freedom' Message Ahead Of Midterms
Reuters: Biden Suggests Support For Filibuster Change To Legalize Abortion
President Joe Biden challenged Democratic voters on Friday that if they elect at least two more senators in November elections, it would open the possibility of Democrats removing the filibuster and restoring federal abortion rights for women. At a Democratic National Committee rally, Biden suggested the two extra Democrats would allow the Democratic-controlled Senate to remove a legislative roadblock known as the filibuster that requires a 60-vote majority to overcome. (9/23)
AP: Abortion Is A Matter Of 'Freedom' For Biden And Democrats
The way President Joe Biden sees it, the overturning of Roe vs. Wade was not just about whether a woman has a right to obtain an abortion. “It’s about freedom,” Biden said at a private fundraiser in New York this past week. Vice President Kamala Harris takes an even bolder approach when she talks about abortion. “Extremist, so-called leaders trumpet the rhetoric of freedom while they take away freedoms,” she told voters in Illinois this month. (Kim, 9/24)
In other election news about reproductive rights —
The Courier-Journal: What Does Kentucky's Constitutional Amendment On Abortion Say?
One of the hottest items on Kentucky's Nov. 8 general election ballot this year could be Constitutional Amendment 2 to eliminate the right to abortion in the commonwealth. Though constitutional amendments − often in dense legal jargon − tend to make voters eyes glaze over, supporters and opponents predict this one is different. (Yetter, 9/26)
NBC News: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly Sidesteps Abortion In Tough Re-Election Battle
When Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have removed language enshrining reproductive rights in their state, Democrats across the country pounced even harder on the issue as a flash point they said would drive huge turnout following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. But back in Kansas — where Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, is fighting a tough re-election battle— the issue is almost nowhere to be seen. Kelly, who polls show is in a dead heat with her Republican challenger, state Attorney General Derek Schmidt, has instead focused almost exclusively on the economy, tax cuts and education. (Edelman, 9/25)
AP: Michels: Would Sign Abortion Ban With Rape/Incest Exceptions
Republican Tim Michels said Friday that he would sign an abortion ban with exceptions for rape and incest if it came to his desk as governor, a shift from his earlier statement that Wisconsin’s 1849 ban — with an exception only for the life of the mother — was “an exact mirror” of his position. (Venhuizen, 9/23)
