Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Why We're Standing Up For The Right To Abortion; What's With All The Cheerleading?
Boston Globe: Women Share Their Abortion Stories And Stand Up For Their Rights
It’s rich when you think about it. The ethically challenged misogynist in chief hopes to make millions of women guilty of a crime. President Trump, who vowed to appoint judges to overturn Roe v. Wade, has nominated conservative Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Striking down Roe would criminalize abortion, a procedure one in four American women has by age 45. Most are already mothers. (Margery Eagan, 7/16)
The Hill: The Terror Of A Future Without Roe
Hardline conservatives and anti-choice extremists cheered this week when President Trump announced his nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. And for good reason: Kavanaugh is almost certain to act as the decisive fifth vote on an already conservative court, giving the right-wing the Supreme Court they need to vacate the landmark abortion rights case, Roe v. Wade. Any moderate lawmakers doubting whether Kavanaugh will rule against women and their right to bodily autonomy need look no further than his opinion in the case of Jane Doe, the undocumented immigrant, pregnant teenager that the Trump administration sought to bar from getting an abortion. (Julie Burkhart, 7/14)
Chicago Tribune: The Rise Of The Pro-Choice Cheerleaders
Is abortion a sad and unfortunate reality — regrettable, as we are sometimes told, but often necessary — or is it a breezy nothingburger, completely normal, and something to be giddily celebrated like a last-minute NFL touchdown? For a long time, the pro-choice lobby has had difficulty deciding. This summer, it seems that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh — and the rising feverish chatter surrounding the possible demise of Roe v. Wade — might just push the pro-choice movement over the edge. ...This ramped-up rhetoric and bizarre abortion cheerleading, in other words, reflects a calculated attempt to avoid difficult truths. One thing is certain: In the end, it certainly won’t help women. Dishonesty never does, no matter how many times you repeat it. (Heather Wilhelm, 7/16)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: I Fought To Preserve Abortion Rights In 1992. Here's Why I'm Terrified About The Supreme Court Now
In recent days, after President Trump’s nomination of D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, pundits on the right have been trying to reassure Americans that Roe v. Wade is not in jeopardy and that the high court will not overrule this seminal decision. Their arguments are fallacious, fully intended to blunt political opposition to Judge Kavanaugh, enabling conservatives to quickly claim control of the high court for at least a generation. (Kathryn Kolbert, 7/13)
