HHS Rejects ‘Right Of Conscience’ Complaint From California Anti-Abortion Groups
The decision upholds a move by the California Department of Managed Care, which notified seven insurance providers in 2014 that state law does not allow them to offer coverage that limits or excludes abortions for some employers. Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's office asks a judge to reject Planned Parenthood's attempt to block parts of an abortion law, and Donald Trump promises to appoint anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court.
Los Angeles Times:
Obama's Health Advisors Reject 'Right Of Conscience' Challenge To California's Required Abortion Coverage
The Obama administration on Tuesday rejected a “right of conscience” complaint from anti-abortion groups in California who objected to the state’s requirement that health insurance plans include coverage for elective abortions. The civil rights office at the Department of Health and Human Services said it had completed an investigation and dismissed several complaints after concluding California’s policy did not violate a decade-old rule adopted by Congress, known as the Weldon Amendment. (Savage, 6/21)
The Associated Press:
Federal Agency Upholds California Abortion Coverage Mandate
In a letter announcing her findings, Jocelyn Samuels, head of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, said the state acted within its rights because the Weldon Amendment applied to insurance companies, not the employers that have a moral objection to abortion. "At the time (California) sent the letter, all of the insurers offered plans that covered abortion, demonstrating that they have no religious or moral objection to that procedure," Samuels wrote. (6/22)
Health News Florida:
State Asks Judge To Let Abortion Law Take Effect
Attorney General Pam Bondi's office on Monday asked a federal judge to reject Planned Parenthood's attempt to block parts of a controversial new abortion law, saying the organization offers "nothing to establish that the challenged legislation would negatively affect women seeking abortions." (6/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump Vows To Lift Ban On Politicking, Appoint Antiabortion Judges
Donald Trump won a standing ovation from hundreds of Christian conservatives who came to New York City on Tuesday with a somewhat skeptical but willing attitude toward a man who has divided their group with comments on women, immigrants and Islam. In his comments, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said he would end the decades-old ban on tax-exempt groups’ — including churches — politicking, called religious liberty “the No. 1 question,” and promised to appoint antiabortion Supreme Court justices. (Boorstein and Zauzmer, 6/21)
In other news, political pressure in Texas is affecting doctors' training —
Kaiser Health News:
Politics Makes Abortion Training In Texas Difficult
Houston Public Media's Carrie Feibel, in partnership with KHN and NPR, reports: Every year, more than 100 new obstetrician-gynecologists graduate from a Texas residency program and enter the medical workforce. Theoretically, all have had the opportunity during their four years of residency to learn about what's called "induced abortion" — named that to distinguish it from a miscarriage. But the closure of abortion clinics in Texas — more than 20 since 2013 — has made that training increasingly difficult. Texas has 18 residency programs in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but only one allowed me to observe how abortion is taught. (Feibel, 6/22)
Kaiser Health News:
Can Doctors Learn To Perform Abortions Without Doing One?
Abortion is one of the more common procedures performed in the U.S., more common even than appendectomy. But as clinics in Texas close, finding a place in the state where medical residents training to be OB-GYNs can learn to do abortions is getting harder. (Feibel, 6/22)