Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How Many Women Are Dying Under Abortion Bans? States Aren't Tracking, CDC Isn't Pushing
ProPublica: The CDC Isn’t Asking States To Track Deaths Linked To Abortion Bans
After the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, President Joe Biden issued an executive order tasking the federal government with assessing the “devastating implications for women’s health“ of new state abortion bans. Experts were warning that these bans would interfere with critical medical care and lead to preventable deaths. And the states that passed the laws had little incentive to track their consequences. (Surana, Fields, Branstetter, 12/20)
The Texas Tribune: U.S. House Members Want Answers On Texas’ Decision To Not Review Maternal Deaths After Near-Total Abortion Ban
Members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability are asking Texas’ maternal mortality committee to brief them on the controversial decision to not review pregnancy and childbirth related deaths from the first two years after the state banned nearly all abortions. The maternal mortality committee announced in September that it would not review deaths from 2022 and 2023, instead jumping ahead to 2024. At a recent meeting, committee chair and Houston OB/GYN Dr. Carla Ortique defended the decision as necessary to offer more contemporary recommendations on reducing maternal deaths. (Klibanoff, 12/19)
ProPublica: Hospitals Give Doctors Minimal Guidance Under Abortion Bans, Report Finds
As doctors navigate risks of criminal prosecution in states with abortion bans, hospital leaders and lawyers have left them to fend for themselves with minimal guidance and, at times, have remained “conspicuously and deliberately silent,” according to a 29-page report released Thursday by Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden. The poor direction is leading to delays in emergency care for patients facing pregnancy complications, the report concluded. The Oregon Democrat launched a probe in September in response to ProPublica’s reporting on preventable maternal deaths in states with abortion bans. Wyden requested documentation from eight hospitals to see whether they were complying with a federal law that requires them to stabilize or transfer emergency patients; his committee has authority over the regulatory agency that enforces the law. The report also draws on roundtable discussions with doctors from states with abortion restrictions. (Surana, 12/19)
Stat: Maternal Mortality Data Is Murky — But The Crisis Faced By New Moms Is Clear
Too many new moms are dying in the U.S. Exactly how many, however, is harder to establish. After years of neglect, the issue of maternal mortality is finally getting attention in policy and politics, as well as in the media, with headlines drawing attention to figures that show the maternal mortality rate has, at least according to some measurements, doubled in the past two decades. (Merelli, 12/20)
The Hill: Reproductive Health Advocates Brace For Return Of Title X Challenges Under Trump
Reproductive health advocates expect President-elect Trump to reinstate a rule that weakened the country’s sole federally funded family planning program during his first term once he returns to office next year. The Title X Family Planning Program, which makes it easier for millions of low-income Americans to access reproductive services like birth control, emergency contraception and abortion referrals, is still grappling with the impact of restrictions imposed by the first Trump administration five years ago. (O’Connell-Domenech, 12/19)
AP: Kentucky Attorney General Finds No Requirement To Use Tax Dollars To Pay For Inmate Gender Surgeries
Kentucky is under no legal requirement to use taxpayer money to cover the costs of gender-affirming surgeries for people incarcerated in state prisons, Attorney General Russell Coleman said Thursday. The Kentucky Department of Corrections requested the opinion from the state’s Republican attorney general as the agency amends its administrative regulations regarding medical care for people in prison. ... “Common sense dictates that it is not ‘cruel and unusual’ for the department to decline to spend taxpayer dollars on such controversial medical procedures,” Coleman’s opinion said. (Schreiner, 12/19)
