Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Infant Death Rates Higher Than Expected In Months After Dobbs Decision
Axios: Infant Death Rates Found To Be Higher Post-Roe
Infant death rates were higher than expected for several months after the Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion, with most of the increase coming from infants with birth defects, researchers reported on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. (Bettelheim, 10/22)
Slate: Why Record Numbers of People Who Aren’t Pregnant Are Ordering Abortion Medication
Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, a growing number of people in the United States are buying abortion pills and keeping them on hand just in case they need them in the future. This process, referred to as advance provision of medication abortion, is part of an assortment of strategies providers are using to expand access to medication abortion pills. It’s also part of a legal gray area that abortion rights supporters are considering as an opportunity to expand abortion access. (Johnson, 10/21)
The Atlantic: Abortion Pills Have Changed The Post-Roe Calculus
For all the upheaval that followed the overturn of Roe v. Wade, it did not dramatically change the most basic fact about abortions in America: the number. Since 2022, abortions in the United States have held steady—even increased slightly, based on the best of limited data. One major reason? The rise of abortion pills, which are now used in the majority of abortions in America. Every month, thousands of women in states where abortion is banned have been able to discreetly order the pills by mail and take them at home. Even with abortion bans in place, the availability of these pills makes these rules less absolute than the anti-abortion movement would like. (Zhang, 10/18)
More abortion news from Florida, Iowa, and Idaho —
AP: DeSantis Using State Money, Time And His Power To Fight Abortion Rights Measure
After a month of updating Floridians on hurricanes, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is now focusing his official office on fighting an abortion rights amendment, holding a campaign-like rally at state expense two weeks before the election. DeSantis’ event Monday, which was capped with a prayer from the archbishop of Miami and the lieutenant governor asking people to not vote like atheists, came after the Department of Health’s top lawyer resigned over a letter he said the governor’s office forced him to send to television stations in an effort to stop a pro-Amendment 4 ad. (Farrington, 10/21)
Des Moines Register: Iowa Supreme Court Justice On Ballot After Voting For Abortion Ban
An Iowa Supreme Court justice is up for reelection less than six months after voting to uphold the state's controversial six-week abortion ban. First appointed to the court in 2022, David May is now standing for his first retention election. May is the fifth justice appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds since 2018, a period of turnover that has transformed the makeup and perspective of the seven-member court. Before joining the court, May served on the Iowa Court of Appeals. (Morris, 10/21)
The Washington Post: Idaho’s New Parental Consent Law For Health Care Draws Harsh Criticism
The patient, 36 weeks pregnant, was having mild but frequent contractions. She had come to the emergency room in this small lakeside town because she was new to the area and had no doctor. In most cases, physician Caitlin Gustafson would have begun a pelvic exam to determine whether labor had started. This time, she called the hospital’s lawyers. Mom-to-be Aleah was only 13 years old. And under a new Idaho law requiring parental consent for nearly all minors’ health care, Gustafson could be sued for treating her because the girl had been brought in by her great-aunt. (Brulliard, 10/21)
In other reproductive health news —
USA Today: Birth Control Doesn’t Cause Abortions – But That Misconception Is Blocking Access
Birth control remains legal everywhere, but in some states its become harder to access due to abortion misconceptions. (Weise, 10/22)
Reuters: Black Women Face A Maternal Health Crisis. Advocates Want To Make That A US Election Issue
Francisca Shaw said she knew something was deeply wrong as she was rushed into an emergency cesarean for the delivery of her third child, a daughter, at Seattle's University of Washington Medical Center in 2015. "I remember I told my doctor when I was getting cut: 'I can't breathe," Shaw recalled saying. "She said: 'Oh yeah, you can.'" Shaw's uterus ruptured during the c-section, causing heavy bleeding. She required a hysterectomy and went into cardiac arrest, according to medical records reviewed by Reuters. She was hospitalized for three weeks after the birth, the records show. (Flowers and Raychaudhuri, 10/19)
Times of San Diego: Regular Mammograms Are Essential, But Women Should Also Know The Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
There’s no question that getting regular mammograms once you reach 45 — or 40, based on your personal risk — is essential. Mammograms often detect breast cancer early, when it’s easier to treat. In fact, mammograms can often find changes within the breast long before symptoms arise. (Pejavar, 10/20)
