Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Following Barrage Of Lawsuits, Government Reverses Course On Grants For Preventing Teen Pregnancies
The Hill: HHS Backs Off Plan To Cut Funding For Certain Teen Pregnancy Prevention Groups
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday said it will resume grants for groups working to prevent teen pregnancies, a reversal from last year's announcement that it would end funding two years earlier than expected. An agency spokesperson told The Hill that HHS will continue grant funding this year for groups participating in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. Several federal judges have ruled against HHS for its plan to end the five-year grants, which began in 2015, after three years. (Hellmann, 8/9)
In other women's health news —
KCUR: Judge Postpones Decision On Missouri Medication Abortion Rule
A judge has put on hold a case challenging Missouri’s regulation of medication abortions because two pending cases on appeal address some of the same issues. U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips reasoned that a decision in one of the appellate cases “forms part of the facts that bear on the Court’s analysis in this case.” Phillips acted on a motion filed by the Planned Parenthood affiliates in Kansas City and St. Louis, the two plaintiffs challenging the Missouri regulation. She said the delay would not prejudice the state since, in the meantime, it’s free to enforce the regulation. (Margolies, 8/9)
