Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Late-Term Abortion Will Play Heavily In Trump's Reelection Strategy, Activists Report
The Hill: Trump Offers Preview Of Abortion Message Ahead Of 2020
President Trump offered a preview of his message on abortion to activists and supporters in a call Thursday as he plans to make it a focus of his re-election campaign. “He clearly is ready to take this on in the coming presidential election,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List. Dannenfelser briefed Trump on the issue at the White House before he participated in a nationwide conference call with activist groups and 4,500 other participants. (Hellmann, 2/14)
CQ: White House Hosts Visit From Anti-Abortion Advocates
“This president is truly pro-life,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List, who attended the White House meeting, on a call with reporters. "There has been so much speculation since the primaries whether his heart was true or not. This is a deeply held and sincere conviction." Recent state actions have pushed the conversation about later-stage abortions into the national spotlight. Those actions include enactment of a New York law that would ease restrictions on abortions after 24 weeks of gestation and debate of a Virginia bill that would reduce the number of physicians needed to sign off on an abortion conducted during the third trimester of pregnancy. (Raman, 2/14)
The Associated Press: Kansas' Abortion Uncertainty Fuels Response To New York Law
Kansas abortion opponents are as eager as ever to impose new restrictions but aren't sure of their options because the state's legal climate is uncertain. So in the meantime, they're putting their energy into condemning New York's new law protecting abortion rights. The Kansas Senate adopted a resolution Thursday decrying the New York law as harmful to both "unborn children" and women, sending it to the House, where its approval also is expected. The Senate vote Thursday was 27-13 , reflecting exactly the number of sponsors for the measure, all but one of the chamber's Republicans. (2/14)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Planned Parenthood Sues Over Ohio’s D&E Abortion Ban
Planned Parenthood and other abortion-rights supporters have sued over a new state law that bans an abortion method called dilation and evacuation-- the most common method of second-trimester abortions. The suit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Western Division, a federal court with main offices in Cincinnati. (Hancock, 2/14)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Planned Parenthood Sues To Block Ban On Common Second-Trimester Abortion Procedure
Hoping to block the law from taking effect, Planned Parenthood and Women’s Med Center of Dayton filed a lawsuit on Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. The complaint alleges that Ohio's law would violate the due process rights of women seeking abortions. "The (law) would unduly burden women’s constitutional right to choose an abortion by barring D&E, the safest and most common method of abortion beginning at approximately 15 weeks of pregnancy," attorneys wrote in the federal complaint. The proposed law has no exception for rape or incest but does allow for an abortion to save a woman's life. (Balmert, 2/14)
