Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida Supreme Court To Take Up Challenge To Abortion Bans
AP: Florida Abortion Rights At Stake As State Supreme Court Takes Up Challenge To GOP-Led Restrictions
The fate of abortion rights in Florida will be at stake Friday morning when the state Supreme Court is expected to take up a challenge to a law banning the procedure in most cases after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which will determine whether an even stricter six-week ban signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis can take effect. The seven justices — including five conservatives appointed by DeSantis, a GOP candidate for president — are set to hear oral arguments in Tallahassee in the lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and others. (Anderson, 9/8)
Politico: Florida Abortion: Abortion-Rights Supporters See Little Hope Ahead Of Florida High Court Arguments
Abortion-rights supporters have a message for Floridians: Be prepared to lose abortion access. The state Supreme Court on Friday will weigh the future of abortion access in the state. But many expect that the high court, reshaped under Gov. Ron DeSantis, will uphold the state’s abortion bans. The Republican governor has appointed five of the seven justices, transforming it into a conservative-leaning institution. (Sarkissian, 9/8)
WUSF Public Media: A Group Says It's Closer To Getting An Abortion Rights Amendment On The 2024 Ballot
A group that is trying to place a state constitutional amendment to protect the right to an abortion on the 2024 ballot says it has enough signatures to get a review from the Florida Supreme Court. Floridians Protecting Freedom says it has garnered 600,000 petition signatures statewide. That's two-thirds of the roughly 900,000 signatures needed to place the amendment on the 2024 ballot. (Newborn, 9/8)
Tampa Bay Times: In A Post-Roe Country, A Florida Doctor Wonders Where To Call Home
As abortion restrictions increase, a medical exodus poses broader consequences for patients. (Peace, 9/6)
Abortion news from Texas and Mexico —
The Guardian: Texas Records Just 17 Abortions In Four Months In Likely Vast Undercount
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission recorded only 17 legal abortions in the first four months of 2023, according to a new report by the agency. All the procedures were performed “due to medical emergency” and “to preserve [the] health of [the pregnant] woman”. Experts said it was highly unlikely that, over the course of four months, only 17 people in all of Texas faced emergencies that threatened their pregnancies or their lives, since Texas is home to almost 7 million women between the ages of 15 and 49. Some pregnant people have had to travel for life-saving care; others might be going without care or are getting so sick that they miscarry. (Sherman, 9/7)
The Guardian: ‘The US Is An Outlier’: Will Mexico’s Abortion Ruling Drive Americans Across The Border?
A ruling from Mexico’s supreme court could turn the country into a popular destination for Americans trying to end their pregnancies as US state abortion bans proliferate. On Wednesday, in a significant win for Mexican abortion rights supporters, the country’s supreme court ruled that criminalizing abortions is unconstitutional. However, the process of legalizing the procedure in the country is far from over. Although people will now be able to access abortions in federal health facilities in Mexico, the procedure remains illegal across much of the country. (Sherman, 9/8)
In other reproductive health news —
CBS News: Stanford Studies Show Difference In Birth Complications Between Races
Two new studies from the Stanford University School of Medicine revealed significant differences between races in rates of birth complications caused by high blood pressure and anemia during pregnancy. The studies, published Thursday in the peer-reviewed medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, looked at the prevalence of birth complications caused by chronic hypertension, or high blood pressure, in pregnant women and the rates of complications from iron-deficiency anemia, excluding patients with anemia caused by genetic factors. (9/7)
USA Today: HPV Vaccine Proves Effective In Preventing Infection, Cancer Risk
The nation’s most common sexually transmitted infection appears to have an effective, long-term vaccine that continues to reduce cancer risk, a new study found. New research published this week in the journal Pediatrics builds on growing evidence about the efficacy of vaccination against HPV, which is most often spread through vaginal, anal or oral sex and can result in genital warts. For most people who get HPV, the virus goes away on its own without any effect, but for others, it can lead to certain cancers. (Cuevas, 9/7)
