Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Former Marine Guilty Of Firebomb Attack On California Abortion Clinic
Reuters: Ex-US Marine Pleads Guilty To Firebombing California Abortion Clinic
An ex-U.S. Marine pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal charges that he firebombed a women's health and abortion clinic in Southern California last year and admitted in court to plotting several other acts of "domestic extremism," prosecutors said. Chance Brannon, 24, was on active duty stationed at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base in San Diego County when he hurled a Molotov cocktail at the entrance to a Planned Parenthood clinic in the early morning hours of March 13, 2022, according to a federal indictment. (Gorman, 11/30)
More abortion news from Ohio and Florida —
Courthouse News Service: Ohio Exempt From Some Family Planning Funding Regulations, Sixth Circuit Rules
A Sixth Circuit panel on Thursday granted Ohio an injunction specifying that clinics receiving federal family planning funds must be physically and financially separated from facilities that provide abortion physically and financially separated from facilities that provide abortions — but clinics must still provide abortion referrals when requested. (Monserud, 11/30)
AP: Opponents Gave Input On Ballot Language For Abortion-Rights Measure, Ohio Elections Chief Says
Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose consulted with three prominent anti-abortion groups while drafting the contested ballot language used to describe Issue 1, an abortion-rights measure overwhelmingly approved by voters earlier this month, cleveland.com reported Wednesday. ... When asked about the language previously, LaRose described his role as writing truthful and unbiased language. Gabriel Mann, a spokesperson for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, said it was always clear that LaRose’s chosen language was intended to benefit the amendment’s opponents. (11/29)
Health News Florida: A Florida Poll Finds Support For Amendments On Marijuana And Abortion Rights
Florida voters largely support proposed constitutional amendments to legalize recreational marijuana and to protect abortion rights if the issues make it to the ballot, a new poll from the University of North Florida suggests. Sixty-two percent of people surveyed said they would vote for a constitutional amendment that would prohibit any law banning abortion before viability or to protect the life of the patient, according to the poll released Thursday by the UNF Public Opinion Research Lab. (Roguski, 11/30)
Other health news from Missouri and North Carolina —
St. Louis Public Radio: New Lawsuit Argues That Gender Dysphoria Is A Disability
The families of two transgender boys filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Missouri this month in an attempt to reverse its decision to stop providing gender-affirming care to minors. University of Missouri Health’s decision was a reaction to a state law that bars minors from beginning gender-affirming care. (Woodbury, 11/30)
North Carolina Health News: Answers To Questions About Medicaid Expansion
Medicaid expansion finally launched Friday in North Carolina, giving an estimated 600,000 low-income residents across the state access to health insurance. Here are answers to some questions you may have about expansion and what it means for the state. (Baxley, 12/1)
