Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Long Waits, Far Travel: Survey Shows State-By-State Abortion Trends
FiveThirtyEight: The Dobbs Divide
New estimates provided exclusively to FiveThirtyEight by #WeCount — a national research project led by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit that supports research on abortion and contraception — indicate that there were 24,290 fewer legal abortions between July 2022 and March 2023, compared to a pre-Dobbs baseline. These people might have remained pregnant or obtained an abortion outside the legal system, which would not be captured in #WeCount’s data. (Thomson-DeVeaux, 6/15)
The 19th: More Americans — Especially Women — Are Supporting Abortion Rights After Dobbs
Almost a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, 40 percent of women said they believe abortion should be legal under any circumstances, according to new polling from Gallup. The findings of the poll show how Roe’s fall shifted public opinion on abortion, leaving more Americans in favor of access to the procedure and critical of banning it. In 2019, Gallup found that 25 percent of Americans believed abortion should be available under any circumstances. Now, 34 percent of Americans, about 1 in 3, believe abortion should be legal at any point. That increase appears driven almost entirely by women. (Luthra, 6/15)
From the states —
Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Supreme Court Decision On 6-Week Abortion Ban Expected Friday
The Iowa Supreme Court is expected to release a major decision on abortion rights Friday. The court will determine whether or not most abortions can be banned around six weeks of pregnancy. Abortion is currently legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. (Sostaric, 6/15)
AP: Rural Utah Abortion Clinic Closes Amid Staff Shortages, Plans To Reopen In August
There’s now one fewer place to access abortion in Utah after Planned Parenthood closed its only clinic outside the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The Planned Parenthood Association of Utah said on Thursday that the Logan clinic has long been staffed with one provider, who left to take another position in March. The northern Utah city of 52,000 is home to Utah State University and about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Idaho, where abortions have been banned except for in cases of rape or incest since last year. (Metz, 6/15)
AP: Oregon GOP Senators End 6-Week Walkout After New Agreements On Abortion, Gun Bills
Ending a walkout that held up key bills for six weeks, Republicans showed up for work in the Oregon Senate on Thursday after wresting concessions from Democrats on measures covering abortion, transgender health care and gun rights. (Selsky, 6/16)
The Washington Post: Abortion Clinic Opens In Deep-Red Wyoming Despite State Bans
The new facility represents a dramatic abortion standoff and a stark expansion of abortion services in a region of wide-open range and sky. (Brulliard, 6/16)
And in the capital —
NPR: Sen. Tammy Baldwin Introduces Bill To Fund Abortion Care Training
Medical schools in states that have banned abortion can't teach abortion care. Sen. Tammy Baldwin wants to make funds available for students in those states to travel for the training. (Huang, 6/15)
CNBC: House Democrats Press Walmart, Costco, Kroger To Sell Abortion Pill Mifepristone
House Democrats on Thursday called on Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Safeway and Health Mart to publicly commit to sell the prescription abortion pill mifepristone at their retail pharmacies. Pending lawsuits have jeopardized mifepristone’s approval in the U.S. For now, it is the most common method to terminate a pregnancy in the country. (Kimball, 6/15)
The Hill: Harris To Mark Anniversary Of Abortion Ruling With North Carolina Speech
Vice President Harris will mark one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with a trip to North Carolina to rally abortion advocates as the state prepares to enact its own ban on the procedure. Harris will travel to Charlotte, a White House official said, to deliver what is being billed as a “major speech” focused on the Biden administration’s efforts to protect abortion access and Republican efforts to push “extreme legislation” that would severely curtail access. (Samuels, 6/15)
Where presidential candidates stand on the abortion issues —
The Hill: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Says He Would Support 15-Week Federal Abortion Ban
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, the newest Republican to enter the 2024 presidential race, said he would support a 15-week federal abortion ban with rare exceptions, but stopped short of backing a six-week abortion ban. “Look, I think that the country is not there yet,” Suarez said in an interview with The Associated Press, when asked about a six-week federal abortion ban. (Fortinsky, 6/15)
