Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kentucky Abortion Law Blocked, Temporarily
Louisville Courier Journal: Federal Judge Puts Temporary Hold On Kentucky Abortion Law, Clearing Way For Services To Resume
A federal judge has issued a temporary order blocking Kentucky's sweeping new abortion law that has forced the state's only two providers to stop offering the procedure. In a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings granted a request from one of the state's two abortion providers for a temporary restraining order. The law has put Kentucky in the national spotlight for becoming the first state to eliminate access to all abortion services. (Yetter, 4/21)
AP: Kentucky Abortion Law Blocked In Win For Clinics
Jennings’ order did not delve into the larger issue of the new law’s constitutionality. Instead, it focused on the clinics’ claims that they’re unable to immediately comply with the measure because the state hasn’t yet set up clear guidelines. The judge said her order does not prevent the state from crafting regulations. Jennings, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, said she decided to block the measure because she lacked information “to specifically determine which individual provisions and subsections are capable of compliance.” (Schreiner, 4/21)
In abortion updates from Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Connecticut —
AP: Bill Regulating Medication Abortions Heads To Tenn. Governor
Tennessee would become the latest state to impose harsh penalties on doctors who violate new, strict regulations dictating the dispensing of abortion pills under a proposal headed toward Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. The proposal mirrors similar proposals introduced in Republican-controlled states seeking to clamp down medication abortion access. It’s a coordinated nationwide effort spearheaded by anti-abortion groups upset over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to remove a rule that required women to pick up the abortion medication in person. (Kruesi, 4/21)
AP: Bill Adding Exception To NH Abortion Ban Headed To Governor
A bill adding an exception to New Hampshire’s new abortion ban for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with “abnormalities incompatible with life” is heading to the desk of Gov. Chris Sununu, who has said he will sign it. Since Jan. 1, New Hampshire has outlawed abortion after 24 weeks gestation, with exceptions only for pregnancies that threaten the mother’s life or health. Doctors who provide late-term abortions can face felony charges, and ultrasounds are required before any abortion. (Ramer, 4/21)
Slate: Connecticut’s Abortion-Protection Blueprint
At least 26 states will ban most or all abortions if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade this summer, as it appears poised to do. Many blue states have strengthened abortion rights in the run-up to Roe’s potential demise. But few are planning for red states’ campaign to punish abortion providers and patients in places where it remains legal. Connecticut, however, will not be caught off guard. On Tuesday, the state’s House of Representatives passed a bill spearheaded by Rep. Matt Blumenthal that would transform Connecticut into a sanctuary for legal abortion. The measure, H.B. 5414, bars state courts from enforcing another state’s penalties against someone who performed or facilitated an abortion that’s legal in Connecticut. It allows people sued under vigilante abortion bans, like Texas’ S.B. 8, to countersue in Connecticut court, collecting both damages and attorneys’ fees if they prevail. And it broadly prohibits state authorities from complying with another state’s request to investigate, penalize, or extradite individuals for providing or facilitating reproductive health services. (Stern, 4/20)
Also —
USA Today: Medical Students And Doctors Worry They Can No Longer Give Abortions
On Match Day, the celebratory day in March on which medical students discover where they will be doing their residency training, second-year medical student Dana Vega was ecstatic to learn she'd gotten into the Texas A&M College of Medicine. Vega didn't think Texas' restrictive abortion law would interfere with her right to learn the medical procedure. She soon realized she was wrong. Now, she said, she is questioning her dream of becoming a doctor in her home state. (Miranda and Ramirez, 4/22)
The Atlantic: The Resurgence Of The Abortion Underground
There’s a common story about abortion in this country, that people have only two options to intentionally end a pregnancy: the clinic or the coat hanger. They can choose the safe route that’s protected by Roe v. Wade—a doctor in a legal clinic—or, if Roe is overturned, endure a dangerous back-alley abortion, symbolized by the coat hanger. But a close look at the history of abortion in this country shows that there’s much more to this story. As the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that could overturn Roe v Wade in June, activists are once again preparing to take abortion into their own hands. (4/22)
