Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Google Must Stop Abortion-Linked Data Haul To Protect Users: Democrats
Insider: 42 Democrats Call On Google To Stop Collecting Data Location To Protect Abortion Rights
Dozens of Democrat lawmakers are demanding that Google stop unnecessarily collecting and retaining users' location data out of concern that "far-right extremists" could use the data to go after those who've had abortions. "Google's current practice of collecting and retaining extensive records of cell phone location data will allow it to become a tool for far-right extremists looking to crack down on people seeking reproductive health care," the lawmakers said in a letter addressed to Google's CEO Sundar Pichai. (Soon, 5/25)
AP: Democrats: Google Must Protect Privacy Of Abortion Patients
In their letter, the Democrats, who were led by Sen. Ron Wyden from Oregon, asks Google to stop collecting and keeping records of their customers’ every movement. Law enforcement officials routinely obtain court orders forcing Google to turn over its customers’ location information, the letter notes. This includes “geofence” orders, which are requests for Google to provide data about everyone who was near a specific location at a specific time. (Ortutay, 5/24)
In other updates on abortion and reproductive rights —
Dallas Morning News: Cuellar-Cisneros Primary In S. Texas, A Referendum On Abortion, Too Close To Call
Nine-term Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo was battling for survival Tuesday night in a fierce South Texas congressional race that drew huge attention as a bellwether for the nation’s mood on reproductive rights. Cuellar, a rare anti-abortion Democrat, faced Jessica Cisneros, an immigration lawyer who nearly ousted him two years ago .Just after midnight, with a lead of 177 votes out of 45,211, Cuellar – who won his 2002 race by just 58 votes, after two recounts – declared victory, though Cisneros did not concede. “The votes are in, the margin will hold. We have won by 177 votes,” he tweeted .With the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 28th District became a battleground between the party’s establishment and insurgent progressive wings. (Gillman, 5/24)
Politico: Florida Republicans Eye Total Ban On Abortions
Florida Republican leaders are signaling they’re open to a complete ban on abortions next year if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Incoming state Senate and House leaders this week told POLITICO they aren’t immediately ready to pursue a strict ban on abortions but will follow the will of the GOP-led Legislature, which already voted to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. That ban is the strictest in state history. (Sarkissian, 5/24)
The Boston Globe: With The Future Of Abortion Uncertain, Mass. Planned Parenthood Workers Are Unionizing
Workers at the four Planned Parenthood clinics in Massachusetts are organizing a union, an effort that has taken on new urgency as the fate of Roe v. Wade hangs in the balance. If the Supreme Court overturns the decision, as expected, clearing the way for at least 26 states to ban or severely limit abortion, workers in locations where the procedure will remain legal, such as Massachusetts, are anticipating an influx of patients from other states. This added workload will increase pressure on already understaffed clinics with underpaid staff, employees say. Being part of a union will help support existing workers and bring in new ones, they note — and would benefit patients, too. (Johnston, 5/24)
KHN: As ‘Trigger Law’ Looms, New Clinic Preps To Provide Abortions In Conservative Bastion
A modest, tan building sandwiched between a gas station and a small apartment house near this Western city’s downtown has become an unexpected focal point of America’s abortion debate, just weeks before Wyoming could outlaw the procedure. Inside, a nonprofit is renovating the space into a clinic that, beginning in June, would be the only one in Wyoming to provide procedural abortions. The Casper clinic also would become the closest option for people in what the nonprofit’s founders describe as an “abortion desert,” extending into western Nebraska and South Dakota. (Zionts, 5/25)
Politico: The Coming Legal Battles Over Abortion Pills
There are questions about whether the FDA’s regulation of medication abortion trumps state abortions laws, potentially expanding medication abortion access even in states that attempt to ban all abortion. The U.S. Constitution provides that federal law preempts state law. The United States, the drug’s manufacturer, or a provider could bring a lawsuit arguing that a state cannot regulate medication abortion more harshly than the FDA, a federal entity. It’s clear that states cannot regulate drugs less harshly than the FDA. But whether the FDA’s regulation is just the nationwide floor or is also the nationwide ceiling is a complex question that might be different for different products. If it’s both, then states would not be able to ban an FDA-approved drug, especially one as closely regulated as mifepristone. (Rebouche, Cohen and Donley, 5/24)
