Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Michigan Lawmakers Vote To Repeal Abortion Ban From 1931
CNN: Michigan Senate Approves Bill Repealing 1931 Abortion Ban
The Michigan state Senate on Wednesday voted to repeal the state’s 1931 abortion ban as well as its sentencing guidelines. The bills were passed 20-18, along party lines in the Democratic-controlled Senate after passing the House last week and were sent to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature. Democrats control the governor’s office and the state legislature for the first time in four decades. (Shelton, 3/8)
The Detroit News: Michigan Senate Votes To Repeal Abortion Ban Dating Back To The 1840s
The Senate voted 20-18 for six bills on Wednesday that aim to repeal the state's past abortion ban. The House approved two of the bills last week, meaning they will soon be sent to Whitmer's desk. The other four started in the Senate and still have to be voted on in the House. (Mauger, 3/8)
More abortion news from Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Utah —
AP: Democrats Seek Repeal Or Exemptions In State Abortion Ban
Alabama’s abortion ban that took effect this summer allows no exemptions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest. Democrats in the Alabama Legislature are seeking to change that but face impossible odds without some Republican support. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, filed legislation Tuesday to allow exemptions for rape and incest. Similar legislation is planned in the Alabama House of Representatives to repeal the ban or add exemptions. But Republicans hold lopsided majorities in both chambers, meaning the bills are doomed without garnering some GOP support. (Chandler, 3/9)
AP: Mississippi Advances Initiative Process But Not For Abortion
Mississippi might revive an initiative process, but people would be banned from putting abortion laws or budget proposals on the statewide ballot under a measure moving forward at the state Capitol. The House voted 75-9 Wednesday to adopt an initiative proposal, making changes to a resolution the Senate adopted last month. Negotiators are likely to work on a final version later this month. (Pettus, 3/9)
WUSF Public Media: Abortion Rights Advocates Blast A Proposed 6-Week Ban In Florida
Abortion rights advocates are criticizing a proposal to ban the procedure after six weeks in Florida, saying it could force many people to remain pregnant against their will. Republican state lawmakers filed bills on Tuesday to further limit access to abortions from the 15-week ban currently in place, which doctors like Robyn Schickler, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, say is already too restrictive. (Colombini, 3/8)
Salt Lake Tribune: Planned Parenthood’s Plan For West Wendover Abortion Clinic In Limbo
When a bill to ban abortion clinics in the Beehive State receives Gov. Spencer Cox’s signature and goes into full effect at the beginning of 2024, the closest clinics to Salt Lake City would likely be six hours away in either Las Vegas or Glenwood Springs, Colorado. But a California-based Planned Parenthood has been working since around the time of the U.S. Supreme Court’s leaked Dobbs decision last spring to bring abortion and health care access closer to the Wasatch Front. (Anderson Stern, 3/8)
Also —
FiveThirtyEight: What Happens If North Carolina Bans Abortion? Or Ohio? Or Florida?
New bans will have outsized impacts on who can get an abortion, how far they have to drive for it and how long they have to wait for an appointment. A new analysis by Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who studies abortion, illustrates how abortion access could continue to dwindle this year if key states like Florida and North Carolina pass additional restrictions. (Bycoffe, Koerth, Mejia and Thomson-DeVeaux, 3/8)
The Guardian: ‘Sanctuary Cities For The Unborn’: How A US Pastor Is Pushing For A National Abortion Ban
The New Mexico state legislature is on the cusp of passing a law that would strike down these ordinances. But pastor Mark Lee Dickson of East Texas Right to Life says anti-abortion advocates would challenge the law in court, arguing that the federal anti-obscenity law at the heart of the ordinances should be enforced across the US. He hopes that the fight over local ordinances turns into a court battle that culminates in a national ban on abortion. (Nowell, 3/9)
