Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Georgia Judge Voids Abortion Ban
The New York Times: Georgia’s 6-Week Abortion Ban Is Struck Down
A Georgia judge on Monday struck down a state law effectively prohibiting abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy. The ruling, by Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of Fulton County Superior Court, is unlikely to be the final word because of the expectation that the case will ultimately be decided by the Georgia Supreme Court. Still, the ruling means that women seeking abortions in Georgia will have greater access, at least temporarily, to a procedure that has become mostly inaccessible in the South since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. (Chen, 9/30)
NBC News: Louisiana's New Abortion Pill Law May Delay Lifesaving Care For Women, Doctors Say
Starting Tuesday in Louisiana, the two drugs used in medication abortion — mifepristone and misoprostol — will be reclassified as controlled substances in the state, making it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to possess the drugs without a prescription. The law, the first of its kind in the nation, will designate the pills as Schedule IV controlled substances, a classification typically given to drugs that carry a potential for dependency or abuse, such as Ambien or Xanax. (Lovelace Jr., 9/30)
Politico: California Sues Catholic Hospital Over Allegedly Refusing To Provide An Abortion
Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing a rural Catholic hospital for allegedly refusing to provide an abortion to a patient even though her pregnancy was not viable and her health was at risk. The lawsuit accuses Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka of violating state laws by not providing abortions for people experiencing miscarriages or “other obstetric emergencies.” It’s the first time post-Roe that a state has gone after a hospital for violations of abortion protections. The federal government has sued hospitals in Texas and Idaho, but no state has tested abortion-rights protections in this way. (Bluth, 9/30)
CBS News: Florida Judge Refuses To Block State's Abortion Information
Saying courts "must trust the people to decide what information is important to them," a Leon County circuit judge Monday refused to issue a temporary injunction to block the state Agency for Health Administration from disseminating what critics call "misinformation" about a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights. (9/30)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Amendment 79 Explained: Adding Abortion Access To Constitution
Voters will decide Nov. 5 whether to preserve unfettered abortion access in Colorado in the state constitution and lift a 40-year-old state ban on the use of government funds for the procedure. Amendment 79, which requires the support of 55% of voters to pass, comes amid a wave of similar measures being considered across the country this year in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. (Paul, 10/1)
