Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Justice Department Files Brief To Supreme Court In Mifepristone Appeal
Reuters: Biden Administration Urges US Supreme Court To Reverse Abortion Pill Curbs
A 2023 judicial decision that would curb access to the abortion pill threatens to disrupt the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and harm the American healthcare system, President Joe Biden's administration told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, urging the justices to reverse the ruling. The Justice Department filed a written brief outlining its main arguments to preserve broad access to the pill, called mifepristone, in its appeal of an August decision by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that barred telemedicine prescriptions and shipments by mail of the drug. (Chung, 1/23)
Axios: DOJ Tells SCOTUS Curbing Abortion Pill Access "Threatens Profound Harms"
The Biden administration told the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday that a lower court's decision to curtail the widely used abortion pill mifepristone would have "disruptive consequences" for women and the FDA if it's allowed to stand. (Falconer, 1/24)
Roll Call: Biden Kicks Off Reelection Push With Singular Goal: Restore Roe
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ first campaign rally of 2024 sought to build voter enthusiasm and boost turnout on a singular issue: abortion rights, which the campaign sees as the golden ticket to reelection. Flanked by their respective spouses, Biden and Harris on Tuesday kicked off a full-court press strategy elevating abortion rights, highlighting it as a crucial issue this election cycle. (Raman, 1/23)
AP: Biden, Harris Paint Trump As Freedom's Enemy At Virginia Abortion Rally
President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned abortion bans that have increasingly endangered the health of pregnant women, forcing them to grow sicker before they can receive medical care, and he laid the blame on Donald Trump, his likely Republican challenger in this year’s election. “He’s betting we won’t hold him responsible,” Biden said to a crowd of hundreds of cheering supporters. “He’s betting you’re going to stop caring.” “But guess what?” he added. “I’m betting he’s wrong. I’m betting you won’t forget.” (Long and Megerian, 1/23)
More abortion news from the campaign trail —
The Washington Post: Haley’s Calls For ‘Consensus’ On Abortion Draw Mixed Interpretations
After Nikki Haley recently fielded questions from reporters at a seafood restaurant here, she stopped to greet a diner who wanted to talk about the Republican candidate’s call for “consensus” on abortion at the federal level. “There is no consensus on that; that’s the problem,” the woman told Haley. “No, but that’s why we’ve got to quit demonizing that issue,” Haley then said, identifying areas she said are suitable for compromise such as access to contraception, banning late-term abortions, and ensuring that women who have abortions do not face jail time or the death penalty. (Wells, 1/23)
KFF Health News: With Trump Front Of Mind, New Hampshire Voters Cite Abortion And Obamacare As Concerns
Health care issues are important to Lana Leggett-Kealey, who works as a genetic genealogist. But on Tuesday, as she walked out of her polling place at a local high school and into a frigid New England morning, she said she had something bigger on her mind when she cast her vote. “I want to make sure we have someone competent in the White House,” she said. She wrote in President Joe Biden’s name on her ballot in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary. (Galewitz, 1/24)
