Florida, S.D., Indiana Lawmakers Move To Tighten Abortion Laws

Health News Florida: Committee Approves Florida's 15-Week Abortion Limit, Sending The Measure To The Senate Floor
After the House passed the measure last week, a bill that would prevent abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is poised to go to the full Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday voted 13-6 to approve the bill (HB 5), which is similar to a Mississippi law that is being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Committee Chair Kelli Stargel, a Lakeland Republican who is the Senate sponsor of the bill, said viability of babies has gotten earlier since the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling in 1973. “This is about what we as a state should be responsible for and how we as a state should move forward and looking at within the confines of law,” she said. (2/22)

AP: S. Dakota Governor, Fellow Republicans Target Abortion Pills
Gov. Kristi Noem’s proposal to make South Dakota one of the hardest places in the country to get abortion pills gained support Tuesday from Republicans in the state House, even though a federal judge has halted a similar rule from taking effect there. Every Republican on the South Dakota House‘s Health and Human Services committee voted to advance the bill for a vote in the full chamber this week. The bill would require women seeking an abortion to make three separate trips to a doctor in order to take abortion pills. Women in South Dakota can currently get both drugs in the two-dose regimen during a single visit and take the second dose at home. (Groves, 2/22)

Indianapolis Star: Senate Votes to Criminalize Coerced Abortion. Opponents Say It Stigmatizes the Procedure.
The Indiana Senate approved new abortion regulations on Tuesday by a 38-10 vote in an attempt to limit "coerced" abortions. ... Under House Bill 1217 any pregnant woman seeking an abortion would have to be informed both orally and in writing that no one can coerce the pregnant woman to have an abortion. If an abortion clinic employee suspects someone is being coerced — a Level 6 felony under the bill — they clinic must report it to law enforcement, who must then investigate. (Lange, 2/22)

On pregnancy and childcare matters —

AP: Pregnancy-Related Deaths Climbed In Pandemic's First Year
Pregnancy-related deaths for U.S. mothers climbed higher in the pandemic’s first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report released Wednesday. Overall in 2020, there were almost 24 deaths per 100,000 births, or 861 deaths total — numbers that reflect mothers dying during pregnancy, childbirth or the year after. The rate was 20 per 100,000 in 2019. Among Black people, there were 55 maternal deaths per 100,000 births — almost triple the rate for whites. (Tanner, 2/23)

Bloomberg: U.S. Black Maternal Mortality Rate Triple That Of White, Hispanic Women In 2020
The U.S. maternal mortality rate — already high compared to other wealthy countries — has increased, with Black women faring far worse than their White peers, according to new data. In 2020, 861 women died of maternal causes in the U.S., up from 754 in 2019, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That puts the 2020 maternal mortality rate at 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, a figure that is more than double the rate in countries including the U.K., Canada or France. (Butler, 2/23)

KHN: An $80,000 Tab For Newborns Lays Out A Loophole In The New Law To Curb Surprise Bills
When Greg and Sugar Bull were ready to start a family, health challenges necessitated that they work with a gestational surrogate. The woman who carried and gave birth to their twins lived two states away. The pregnancy went well until the surrogate experienced high blood pressure and other symptoms of preeclampsia, which could have harmed her and the babies. Doctors ordered an emergency delivery at 34 weeks’ gestation. Both infants had to spend more than a week in the neonatal intensive care unit. (Hancock, 2/23)

Bloomberg: Infant Formula Survey Shows ‘Pervasive, Aggressive’ Marketing
Infant formula makers are systematically targeting women through social media and health-care professionals to gain influence over feeding decisions, according to a study the World Health Organization says is the largest ever. More than half of the parents and pregnant women surveyed said they’ve been targeted with formula-milk marketing, according to the report. The study was commissioned by Unicef and the WHO, which has been trying for years to rein in such promotions, calling them disruptive to efforts to increase the rate of breastfeeding around the world. (Gretler, 2/22)