Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Idaho Pushes To Lift Block On Its Strict Emergency Abortion Laws
Roll Call: Idaho Asks Supreme Court To Allow Enforcement Of State Abortion Ban
Idaho asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow enforcement of the state’s abortion ban as it applies to emergency rooms, after federal courts blocked that aspect in a legal challenge from the Biden administration. Idaho’s law allows state officials to prosecute or revoke the professional license of doctors who perform abortions unless it was necessary to prevent the woman’s death, or the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. (Macagnone, 11/27)
NPR: Abortion Case Goes Before Texas Supreme Court, As More Women Sue State
On Tuesday, the Texas Supreme Court will consider this question: Are the state's abortion laws harming women when they face pregnancy complications? The case, brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights, has grown to include 22 plaintiffs, including 20 patients and two physicians. They are suing Texas, arguing that the medical exceptions in the state's abortion bans are too narrow to protect patients with complicated pregnancies. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is fiercely defending the state's current abortion laws and arguing that the case should be dismissed. (Simmons-Duffin, 11/28)
Missouri Independent: Explained: Missouri Abortion-Rights Petition Rape Reporting Clause
When Trish Mitchell got an abortion three decades ago in Missouri, she didn’t tell the doctor her pregnancy was a result of sexual assault. She couldn’t bring herself to. It would be years before she told anyone that she had been raped. “Speaking for myself, it was literally almost impossible,” said Mitchell, who was 21 at the time of the assault. “I wasn’t able to talk about what happened to me for many, many years.” (Spoerre, 11/27)
Slate: How To Overcome The Biggest Obstacle To Abortion Care In Blue States.
Even when voters choose to protect abortion, people can be thwarted in their efforts to get the care they need. “Crisis pregnancy centers” are a highly effective tool that anti-abortion groups use, even in blue states such as Massachusetts, to prevent people from making informed decisions and receiving quality maternal care. (Baruch and Shachar, 11/27)
In related reproductive health news —
ABC News: 'Nobody Cared': Women Who Have Reported Mistreatment While Giving Birth Say CDC Report Validates Their Trauma
"If the CDC has to tell you to respect patients' rights and to respect the medical ethics of autonomy, I think we've really gone off the rails," said Julie Cantor, a women's rights advocate and attorney who is representing Doe. The CDC analysis of a recent survey of 2,400 new mothers includes reported cases of ignored requests for help; being shouted at or scolded; violations of physical privacy; and threats to withhold treatment, or made to accept unwanted treatment. (Dwyer and See, 11/28)
