Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Bribes To Buy Sen. Collin's Vote On Kavanaugh Won't Work; High Stakes For Pro-Lifers
The Wall Street Journal: You Can’t Bribe Susan Collins
After the undignified theatrics at Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings last week, it was hard to imagine that the opposition to this competent Supreme Court nominee could get any more embarrassing. Well, how about a campaign to trade a Senator’s vote for political donations? A crowdfunding website is trying to strong-arm Senator Susan Collins, the Republican from Maine, by giving more than $1 million to her 2020 opponent—unless she opposes Judge Kavanaugh. Donors are asked to make a financial pledge and then enter their credit-card information. As of Tuesday afternoon, 37,425 people had put down $1,041,878. (9/11)
The Hill: The Stakes Are Sky-High For The Pro-Life Cause In The Upcoming Midterms
This month, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (R-Calif.) released a letter to the Democratic Caucus preparing them to become the Majority. A shift in party control would not only reinstate the pro-abortion Californian as Speaker of the House of Representatives. It means Pelosi’s liberal colleagues would gain control of the various committees. While pro-lifers should worry about a potential Speaker Pelosi, the Democrats most likely to chair committees have built their careers on being hostile to protections for women and the unborn. (Tom McClusky, 9/11)
Houston Chronicle: Why Texas Keeps Passing Abortion Bills Lawmakers Know Will Fail
The greatest fear of many opposing Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court is that he would help overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion. But this assumes that Republican strategists actually want to overturn Roe. Why would the far-right really want to toss out a ruling that’s been so fruitful to the GOP? If abortion foes really wanted to reduce abortion rates even further past the all-time lows we’re seeing today, there are sure ways to do it. Start by providing low-income women access to birth control that can help them prevent unwanted pregnancies and, thus, the need for abortion. (9/10)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: The Erosion Of Abortion Rights Starts Here
Those who fear that Brett Kavanaugh’s ascension to the Supreme Court would start the erosion of abortion rights across America are mistaken: Kavanaugh hasn’t even been confirmed yet, and the erosion has already begun, right here in Missouri. In a Monday ruling based on linguistic smoke and mirrors, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis upheld a Missouri law that restricts access to abortion by imposing gratuitous physical standards on abortion clinics. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a nearly identical Texas law just two years ago. (9/11)
