Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Emotional Ceremony, Ariz. Governor Rids State Of 1864 Abortion Ban
AP: Arizona Governor's Signing Of Abortion Law Repeal Follows Political Fight By Women Lawmakers
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signing of the repeal of a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions was a stirring occasion for the women working to ensure that the 19th century law remains in the past. Current and former state lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates crowded into the 9th floor rotunda outside Hobbs’ office Thursday afternoon, hugging and taking selfies to capture the moment. Some wept. “It’s a historic moment, and it’s a place and time where thrilling moments all come together,” Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton said during the signing ceremony. “It’s a time where we are doing away with what is in the past that doesn’t fit the present.” (Snow and Lee, 5/3)
News Service of Florida: Florida AHCA Issues Abortion Rules On Treating Emergency Medical Conditions
With a law now in effect preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, Florida health care regulators on Thursday released rules related to treating emergency medical conditions that pose dangers to the lives of pregnant women or unborn children. The state Agency for Health Care Administration published two rules that apply to hospitals and abortion clinics. The rules came a day after the six-week law took effect that significantly restrict abortion access in the state. (Saunders, 5/2)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': Abortion Access Changing Again In Florida And Arizona
A six-week abortion ban took effect in Florida this week. ... Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too. (5/2)
Mother Jones: The Governor Of Kansas Vetoed Four Anti-Abortion Measures. Republicans Rammed Them Through Anyway.
“By continuously finding ways to raise the issue and attempting to subvert the will of Kansans, these legislators are not representing the vast majority of those who elected them to office,” Gov. Laura Kelly told Mother Jones. (McShane, 5/2)
The Boston Globe: How Republicans Are Navigating Abortion In Their Effort To Take Back The Senate
Senator Steve Daines of Montana knows to expect questions about abortion and acknowledges it’s important for Republican candidates to get their messaging right.But the content of those messages will depend on where they are running. “We’re advising our candidates first of all to take a position on abortion that best matches the state they represent,” Daines, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told reporters at a breakfast Thursday. (Villa de Petrzelka, 5/2)
Politico: Spoiler Alert: RFK Jr. Freaks Out Both Sides Of The Abortion Debate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ambiguous stance on abortion has advocates on both sides of the issue on edge. Kennedy and his running mate Nicole Shanahan have taken vague and sometimes conflicting positions on abortion — endorsing a 15-week ban before walking it back, and offering just enough detail for people across the ideological spectrum to hear what they want while committing to few specifics. (Ollstein, 5/3)
In other reproductive health news —
NPR: Pregnant Women In Some States Can't Get Divorced
Missouri law requires women seeking divorce to disclose whether they're pregnant — and state judges won't finalize divorces during a pregnancy. Established in the 1970s, the rule was intended to make sure men were financially accountable for the children they fathered. Advocates in Missouri are now pushing to change this law, arguing that it's being weaponized against victims of domestic violence and contributes to the contraction of women's reproductive freedoms in a post-Roe v. Wade landscape. (Riddle, 5/3)
AP: Halle Berry Shouts From The Capitol, 'I'm In Menopause' As She Seeks To End A Stigma
Halle Berry is joining a group of bipartisan senators to push for legislation that would put $275 million toward research and education around menopause, the significant hormone shift women go through in middle age. Berry, 57, shouted about menopause outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. She said it’s a word her own doctor told her he was scared to say in front of her. “I’m in menopause, OK?” Berry yelled, eliciting chuckles from the crowd. “The shame has to be taken out of menopause. We have to talk about this very normal part of our life that happens. Our doctors can’t even say the word to us, let alone walk us through the journey.” (Seitz, 5/2)
