Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Michigan Enters The Abortion Fray
The Washington Post: Michigan Gov. Whitmer Sues To Protect Abortion
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to keep abortion legal in her state if the Supreme Court rolls back its landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling. A 1931 Michigan law banning abortion has been superseded for nearly 50 years by the Roe decision. But if the high court overturns the nationwide right to abortion or leaves it to states to decide, the legislation could take effect. Whitmer is attempting to prevent that, asking that the state Supreme Court declare abortion protected under Michigan’s Constitution. (Shammas, 4/7)
Detroit Free Press: Nessel Cites Own Abortion, Says She Won't Defend Michigan In Lawsuit
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will not defend the state in a lawsuit filed Thursday by Planned Parenthood of Michigan, saying she agrees with the suit's assertion that a 1931 state law that bans most abortions in the state is unconstitutional. The move is already drawing criticism, with Republican legislative leaders exploring ways to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of the state. Nessel told reporters Thursday about her own, personal experience with abortion and why she thinks it's inappropriate to use tax dollars to take any action that could restrict abortion access. (Boucher, 4/7)
In other abortion news from Missouri, Nebraska, and elsewhere —
CBS News: House Republicans Want To Axe Citi Contracts Over Bank's Abortion Benefits
Dozens of Republican lawmakers are urging the U.S. to cancel government contracts with Citigroup after the banking giant offered to pay the travel costs for employees seeking abortions. Citi, the nation's fourth-largest bank, provides credit cards to members of the House of Representatives to pay for flights, office supplies and other goods. Rep. Mike Johnson and 44 other lawmakers are urging House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor to cancel the contract, arguing the legislative branch has long adhered to a policy of not funding abortions with taxpayer money. (Gibson, 4/7)
St. Louis Public Radio: Planned Parenthood Urges St. Louisans To Protect Abortion
Access to abortion in Missouri is at risk as Republican legislators seek tougher restrictions, Planned Parenthood's national leader warned Thursday. Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson spoke Thursday at the annual luncheon for its St. Louis affiliate. Abortion rights advocates are fighting efforts in states across the country to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, Johnson said. “We know that if Roe falls, the ability to access abortion will be determined by the states,” Johnson said. “Fighting state by state is what we will do. But it means that we no longer fully have the rights to control our bodies." (Davis, 4/7)
AP: Abortion Rights Backers Block 'Trigger' Law In Nebraska
Abortion rights proponents scored a surprising victory in Nebraska by derailing a bill that would have automatically outlawed abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure throughout the country. The vote on Wednesday frustrated abortion rights opponents, who usually win fights over the issue in the conservative Legislature. More than a dozen other conservative states have passed similar measures already, but abortion rights backers in Nebraska managed to block it using a filibuster in the single-chamber Legislature. (Schulte, 4/7)
The 19th: Effects Of Supreme Court Dobbs Decision Likely Up To States And Attorneys General
Lawmakers and advocates are preparing for a Supreme Court ruling this summer that could weaken Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that enshrined federal abortion protections. But across the political spectrum, many are anticipating a decision that leaves plenty of room for legal interpretation and litigation, meaning it could take months to fully understand the implications for abortion access. “There’s going to be so much we don’t know,” said Elizabeth Nash, who tracks state policy at the Guttmacher Institute, a widely cited research organization that supports abortion rights. “I don’t think the court is going to make this easy.” (Luthra, 4/7)
In other reproductive health news —
AP: In Many States With Tough Abortion Laws, Social Programs Are Weak: AP Analysis
States with some of the nation’s strictest abortion laws are also some of the hardest places to have and raise a healthy child, especially for the poor, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press. The findings raise questions about the strength of the social safety net as those states are poised to further restrict or even ban abortion access following an expected U.S. Supreme Court decision later this year. The burden is likely to fall heaviest on those with low incomes, who also are the least able to seek an abortion in another state where the procedure remains widely available. (Whitehurst, Fassett and Lo, 4/7)
Bloomberg: New York UBI Program Focuses On New Moms, Pregnant Women
As a single mother of a young boy and a baby, Kassandra Hernandez has spent a lot of brainpower thinking about how to stretch every last dollar. Juggling a part-time job in medical billing with child care made even more spotty by Covid quarantines meant income trickled in unpredictably. Her grocery trips are subsidized by the government, but food wasn’t the only thing her family needed. Sometimes, she said, a carton of yogurt purchased with food benefits would rot in the fridge while she scrambled to buy other essential baby items and pay her rent. (Holder, 4/7)
KBIA: Missouri Lawmakers Considering New Prison Nursery
In late June 1976, Barbara Baker gave birth to her son. “We were able to stay together five days, you know, bonding with him. I got to feed him and have him in my room and stuff,” Baker said. “But at the end of those five days, he went out one door and I went out another door.” Baker was incarcerated at the time and serving a sentence for shoplifting. She was addicted to heroin and shoplifted to sustain her dependence. The next time she saw her son, he was 9 months old. “(He) didn’t know who I was and didn’t even want me to touch him,” Baker said. “That was heartbreaking.” (Schleis, 4/8)
USA Today: Serena Williams Describes Nearly Dying From Childbirth Complications
Tennis star Serena Williams reveals the harrowing experience she had in the hospital after giving birth to her daughter Olympia in 2017 -- one that required four surgeries, including a C-section, and put her perilously close to death. (Gardner, 4/7)
