Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Loss For Trump, Supreme Court Says Abortion Pill Can Still Be Mailed
AP: Justices Say Women Can Get Abortion Pill By Mail, For Now
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would for now continue to allow women to obtain an abortion pill by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic. The action came over the dissent of two conservative justices who would have immediately granted a Trump administration request to reinstate the requirement that women must visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain a pill. (10/8)
Politico: Supreme Court Refuses To Restore Abortion Pill Restrictions, For Now
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant the Trump administration's bid to restrict access to medication abortions during the pandemic, in the first reproductive rights decision since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justices sidestepped an emergency stay that would have restored requirements for patients to see a medical provider before obtaining medication to end a pregnancy, saying lower courts should continue hearing arguments on the policy. (Miranda Ollstein, 10/8)
NPR: Supreme Court Refuses To Block Lower Court Order On Abortion Pills
The court's decision came Thursday night on a 6-to-2 vote that rejected an emergency appeal from the Trump administration. The challenge to the FDA regulation was brought by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists after the the agency relaxed similar regulations for other drugs--including opioids--in order to limit patients' exposure to Covid-19 during the pandemic, but refused to relax the same rule for those with prescriptions for abortions with pills in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. (Totenberg, 10/8)
The Washington Post: Supreme Court Puts On Hold Trump Administration Request To Reimpose Medication Abortion Restrictions
The court’s unusual and unsigned disposition of the petition came after six weeks of consideration, and brought a rebuke from two of the court’s conservatives for their colleagues, and for U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang. “While COVID-19 has provided the ground for restrictions on First Amendment rights, the District Court saw the pandemic as a ground for expanding the abortion right recognized in Roe v. Wade,” wrote Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas. (Barnes, 10/8)
