Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kentucky Supreme Court Says Abortion Ban Stays Active During Arguments
AP: Kentucky Supreme Court Denies Request To Block Abortion Ban
Kentucky’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state’s near-total abortion ban will remain in place while it reviews arguments by abortion clinics challenging two state laws. It was the latest legal setback for the two remaining abortion clinics in Kentucky — both in Louisville, the state’s largest city. The state’s highest court kept in place a recent lower court ruling that reimposed enforcement of the laws banning nearly all abortions in Kentucky. (Schreiner and Lovan, 8/18)
In abortion news from Arizona —
AP: Arizona Judge To Hear State Request To Enforce Abortion Ban
An Arizona judge will hear arguments Friday on the state’s request to allow prosecutors to enforce a near-total ban on abortions under a law that has been blocked for nearly 50 years under a now-overruled U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Abortion-rights advocates are fighting the request from Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich to lift an injunction blocking enforcement of the ban on abortions unless the mother’s life is in danger. That law was first enacted decades before Arizona was granted statehood in 1912 and blocked following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade legalizing abortion. (Christie, 8/18)
AZPM: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Visits Arizona To Promote Abortion Access
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is promising that the federal government will do what it can to protect abortion rights in states like Arizona, where access to the procedure has become more limited since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. “We have an obligation to make sure that care does not disappear, and so whether you’re in Arizona, or California, or Texas, if you need care, we want to make sure you get it,” Becerra said during a visit to a Phoenix Planned Parenthood clinic Thursday. (8/18)
From Missouri —
Missouri Independent: St. Louis Files Counterclaim Against Missouri AG In Lawsuit Over Abortion Access
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt relied on an unconstitutional law when he sued the City of St. Louis to block it from using federal funds to support access to abortion, an attorney for the city argued in a counterclaim filed Wednesday. The lawsuit, which has been moved to federal court, centers on legislation that established a Reproductive Equity Fund. (Hancock, 8/18)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis County Adds Birth Control Options At Health Centers
More St. Louis County residents will soon be able to get free or low-cost birth control. Patients can already access same-day birth control services, but new federal money will help county clinics have more contraceptives on-hand, said Department of Public Health spokesman Chris Ave. (Landis, 8/18)
From Mississippi and Florida —
Reuters: Abortion Drug Maker Drops Challenge To Mississippi Ban
A manufacturer of the drug used in medication abortions on Thursday dropped its bid to sell mifepristone in Mississippi despite the state's recently enacted abortion ban. GenBioPro Inc said it was voluntarily dismissing its case in a filing in federal court in Jackson. The company had argued that federal regulators' approval of mifepristone to induce abortion at up to 10 weeks of pregnancy overrode the state's prohibition on nearly all abortions. (Pierson, 8/18)
WFLA: Tampa City Council Votes On Supporting Resident’s Rights To Make Reproductive Health Decisions, Including Abortion
Tampa City Council passed a resolution 5-2 Thursday, that would support a person’s right to privacy when it comes to getting an abortion. However, it was not the resolution proposed by the lone city councilwoman. Tampa city councilwoman Lynn Hurtak proposed a resolution and so did the city’s legal department. (Clemmons, 8/18)
