Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fates Of Missouri, Nebraska Abortion Ballot Measures In Judges' Hands
AP: Courts In Nebraska And Missouri Weigh Arguments To Keep Abortion Measures Off The Ballot
With ballot deadlines approaching, courts in Nebraska and Missouri are weighing legal arguments that could take measures seeking to expand abortion rights out of the hands of voters. In Missouri, a day before the state’s Supreme Court plans to hear arguments over whether a proposed abortion-rights amendment will go before voters, Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft decertified the measure, removing it from the ballot himself. ... In Nebraska, the Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in three lawsuits that seek to keep one or both of the state’s competing abortion initiatives off the ballot. (Beck and Ballentine, 9/9)
News Service of Florida: Abortions In Florida Are Down 13% In 2024 Compared With The Previous Two Years
The number of abortions reported in Florida during the first eight months of this year was nearly 13 percent lower than during the same period in 2022 and 2023, as a law preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy has led to fewer procedures. (Saunders, 9/9)
NPR: Harris Campaign Launches 'Reproductive Freedom' Bus Tour In Key States
As former President Trump struggles with messaging on the issue of abortion, Vice President Harris’ campaign is making a major push focused on the issue. The Harris campaign is running ads focused on reproductive rights in several key states, and recently launched a bus tour that will make about 50 stops focusing on battleground states between now and Election Day, Nov. 5. (McCammon, 9/10)
CBS News: Trump And Harris' Views On Abortion And IVF Access, Explained
Trump and Harris have talked about their stances on abortion and what the future might hold for abortion access if elected in the 2024 presidential election. (Quinn, 9/10)
In related news about the Supreme Court —
The New York Times: Kagan Sees Threats To Everyday Rights Beyond Abortion
Justice Elena Kagan said on Monday that Americans were right to worry about the future of rights that form the fabric of their everyday lives — such as access to contraception and interracial and gay marriage — since the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. Justice Kagan said that in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, her colleagues had overturned the right to abortion with a historical argument that American women had not been free to have the procedure earlier in the nation’s history. (Kantor, 9/9)
Reuters: US Supreme Court's Kagan Says Emergency Docket Does Not Lead To Court's Best Work
Justice Elena Kagan said the U.S. Supreme Court would be better off spending less time hurrying through cases on its emergency docket. "It's a very hard problem," Kagan said on Monday in an hour-long interview with a professor at New York University's law school. "I don't think we do our best work in this way." (Stempel, 9/9)
On reproductive health and PFAS —
Reuters: Trojan Condoms Contain 'Forever Chemicals,' Lawsuit Claims
A new lawsuit on Monday claims that Trojan condoms are not safe because they contain toxic "forever chemicals," which have been linked to cancer. In a proposed class action filed in Manhattan federal court, the plaintiff Matthew Goodman said Church & Dwight's (CHD.N), opens new tab products, advertised as "America's #1 Condom," are unfit for their intended purpose because they contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. (Stempel, 9/9)
Reuters: Baby Bottle Maker Says Microplastics Inescapable, Health Risks Unproven, In Bid To Toss Lawsuit
Handi-Craft Co on Friday pushed back against claims that the company failed to warn parents that their plastic baby bottles leach microplastics when heated, arguing in part that microplastics are ubiquitous and their health effects are unproven. Handi-Craft and another baby bottle maker, Philips North America, are each facing proposed class actions claiming they failed to warn parents that the polypropylene bottles and cups sold under the brands Philips Avent and Handi-Craft’s Dr. Brown's, when heated as part of regular use, could expose infants to tiny flecks of plastic that can interfere with their digestive, reproductive and immune systems. Both companies have moved to dismiss the claims against them. (Jones, 9/9)
