Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Response Centers On Preserving Access To Abortion Drugs
Roll Call: Biden Administration Announces Actions To Protect Abortion Rights
The Biden administration is launching a multipronged effort to respond to the Supreme Court decision overturning the 1973 ruling establishing a right to an abortion, with Health and Human Services, the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management among the agencies to weigh in. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, reacting Tuesday to the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, said the department will take steps to increase the availability of medication abortion, which involves a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol. (Raman, 6/28)
The New York Times: Biden’s Health Secretary: ‘No Magic Bullet’ For Preserving Abortion Access
As Democrats and reproductive rights advocates clamored for President Biden to forcefully counter the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, his health secretary, Xavier Becerra, stepped up to a lectern here on Tuesday to list the steps his department would take to preserve and expand access to abortion. The list, for now anyway, is short. “There is no magic bullet,” Mr. Becerra said at a morning news conference, “but if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it.” (Stolberg and Savage, 6/28)
Modern Healthcare: HHS Offers Scant Details On Post-Roe V. Wade Strategy
"We're not interested in going rogue and doing things just because," Becerra said. "We will do everything we can with what we find to make sure we're protecting our services. It takes a little time because we want to do it right. We want to do it according to law." The secretary outlined a handful of actions HHS will take to enforce largely preexisting protections, including directing the Office of Civil Rights to uphold privacy and nondiscrimination rules for providers offering reproductive healthcare and patients accessing care. (Goldman, 6/28)
The 19th: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Offers Little Insight On Abortion Pill Protections
At Tuesday briefing, Becerra would not say if or when the government plans to challenge those state laws banning medication abortion. “We will absolutely protect Americans’ rights to care under federal law and we will do everything we get to make sure Americans understand what their rights are,” Becerra said. “What exactly that translates into depends on what a state tries to do.” (Luthra, 6/28)
AP: Biden Team Strains To Flex Muscles In Abortion Fight
Mini Timmaraju, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said she believes the administration is “off to a good start,” but she acknowledged that frustrations have been percolating. Some expected swifter policy announcements or executive orders from Biden.(Murphy and Megerian, 6/29)
