Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How Once 'Pro-Choice' Trump Has Given Anti-Abortion Movement Most Optimism In A Decade
The Associated Press: Trump Steps To Forefront Of Anti-Abortion Movement
He once called himself “pro-choice.” But a year into his presidency, Donald Trump is stepping to the forefront of his administration’s efforts to roll back abortion rights. And though his record is mixed and a midterm election looms, abortion opponents say they have not felt so optimistic in at least a decade. “I don’t think anybody thinks that the White House is a perfectly regimented and orderly family ... but that doesn’t change their commitment to the issue,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which is expanding its door-knocking operation across states with Senate incumbents who have voted for abortion rights. (Kellman, 1/19)
The Associated Press: For Rival Camps In Abortion Debate, A Weekend To Mobilize
Activists on both sides of the abortion debate will be rallying and marching over the next few days in their annual show of force, while looking ahead to the coming year with a mix of combativeness and trepidation. The events kick off Friday with the March for Life in Washington, the biggest yearly event for opponents of abortion. Organizers say Donald Trump will become the first sitting president to address the gathering, speaking live from the White House Rose Garden. (1/18)
Meanwhile, in the states —
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Clinic Provides Abortions Via Telemedicine, A Method Prohibited In 19 States
At least twice a week, abortions at Whole Woman’s Health of Peoria are performed via telemedicine, an intersection of technology and health care at the forefront of the reproductive rights debate. The clinic about 160 miles southwest of Chicago began offering the service a little over a year ago to help reach women amid expanding abortion restrictions in the Midwest and nationwide. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision affirmed the legality of abortion on Jan. 22, 1973. As the 45th anniversary of the landmark case approaches, the contours of that freedom have been shaped by a state-by-state patchwork of laws, with a variety of gestational limits, waiting periods, parental notification mandates, funding constraints and clinic requirements. (Lourgos, 1/19)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Abortion Bills Die In General Assembly Committee
One state senator’s impassioned speech in which she identified as a survivor of incest didn’t stop a Senate committee on Thursday from killing a handful of bills that proponents said would have increased access to abortions. Votes fell along party lines on the bills, which covered topics including changing regulations applying to clinics that perform abortions and preventing women from having to report cases of rape or incest to law enforcement if they are receiving an abortion funded by the state. (O'Connor, 1/18)
