Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: PCPs Must Begin To Provide Abortion Care; Overturning Roe Will Create More Teenage Mothers
Scientific American: Primary Care Providers Can Help Safeguard Abortion
The Supreme Court has overturned constitutional protections for abortion, and several states have now immediately outlawed essential care that is used by roughly one in four Americans who can become pregnant. As many people in the health professions have said, these prohibitions will undermine bodily autonomy, criminalize a wide range of pregnancy outcomes and limit the personal and professional lives of millions of Americans. They will also undoubtedly increase pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality. As educators and physicians who provide abortions, we believe that this vital health service must not be limited to abortion clinics and ob-gyn practices. (Diana Carvajal, Casandra Cashman and Ian Lague, 6/24)
Stat: A Major Problem For Minors: Post-Roe Access To Abortion
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned constitutional protection to abortion access, more than two dozen states will ban or severely restrict abortion access. Young people, especially those under age 18, will be disproportionally affected by this decision. The existing barriers to legal access to abortion, already insurmountable for many people, serve as a preview of what to expect and the inequities that will further be exacerbated. In Indiana, for example, consent for a minor to have an abortion requires a notarized parental consent form to be completed; in-person, state-directed counseling; an ultrasound; and an 18-hour waiting period. Given teens also face greater barriers to preventing pregnancy in the first place, including barriers to accessing contraception and limited access to comprehensive sexual health education, the door is closed for them at every turn. (Tracey Wilkinson, Julie Maslowsky and Laura Lindberg, 6/26)
Los Angeles Times: The End Of Roe And Abortion Rights Will Be A Death Sentence For Many Black Women
For all women in the United States, the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade will reverse half a century of progress in women’s healthcare. For Black women, this decision represents something even more sinister. For us, losing access to legal abortion could spell the difference between life and death. That may sound like a melodramatic statement, but it’s not. If the past is any guide, ending the right to abortion will spark a public health crisis for Black women defined by more maternal deaths, higher rates of poverty and greater inequality overall. (Linda Goler Blount, 6/24)
NBC News: Roe V. Wade Was Overturned. Adoption Isn't A Solution To A Lack Of Abortion Access
“Your son is so lucky.” As mother to an 11-year-old who came to our family via adoption four years ago, I hear this comment a lot. Friends and strangers alike tell me that my child is fortunate, that he “seems like such a happy kid” and “You would never know he’s adopted, he’s so well-adjusted!” Some say these things within earshot of my son or my biological daughter. I know that their comments are mostly well-meaning, so I usually just change the subject, not wanting to start a weighty conversation at the grocery check-out line or at school pickup. But what I want to say is, “He is not ‘lucky.’ He will never ‘adjust.’ Adoption is trauma, and no child — or birth parent — should ever have to go through it.” (Kristin Fasy, 6/26)
Scientific American: How Abortion Misinformation And Disinformation Spread Online
The Supreme Court’s decision to curtail abortion rights has come to fruition. One of the outcomes that will be less discussed is how more people in states with heavy restrictions will turn to search engines and social media to figure out how now to manage their reproductive decisions, and will find themselves reading questionable information. The information they’ll find could be questionable; the number of false and misleading statements online about abortion has grown since the draft opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked in May, and with the decision now handed down, it will undoubtedly increase. (Jenna Sherman, 6/24)
The Hill: Impact Of Overturning Roe On The Midterms? Look At Kavanaugh‘s Impact On 2018 Elections
In the 2018 midterms, 40 U.S. House seats flipped from Republican to Democrat; 38 of those races had public polling. In 27 of those, the Republican candidate led in September and/or October, coinciding with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearings; those 27 Republican candidates went on to lose in November. In considering how the overturning of Roe v. Wade might impact the 2022 midterms, we must understand 2018. (B.J. Rudell, 6/26)
