Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Michigan's 1931 Law Criminalizing Abortion Blocked
Reuters: Michigan's 90-Year-Old Abortion Ban Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules
A 1931 Michigan law banning abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest violates the state's constitution, a state court judge ruled on Wednesday, barring any prosecutors from enforcing it. Judge Elizabeth Gleicher of the Michigan Court of Claims found that Michigan's constitution guarantees a right to bodily autonomy including abortion. The ruling is a victory for providers including a Planned Parenthood affiliate, which had sued to block the law. (Pierson and Singh, 9/7)
NPR: A 1931 Law Criminalizing Abortion In Michigan Is Unconstitutional, A Judge Rules
Michigan Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher ruled the Michigan Constitution's due process clause is expansive enough to cover reproductive rights. "The Michigan Constitution protects the right of all pregnant people to make autonomous health decisions," she wrote, and later: "Exercising the right to bodily integrity means exercising the right to determine when in her life a woman will be best prepared physically, emotionally and financially to be a mother." (Pluta, 9/7)
In abortion updates from Ohio, South Carolina, and Minnesota —
Columbus Dispatch: Abortion In Ohio: Judge's Hearing Set For Thursday On 6-Week Ban
Those challenging Ohio's six-week abortion ban say a Hamilton County judge could rule as soon as Thursday on whether the law should remain in effect. Ohio's abortion clinics filed a new lawsuit in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court last week to block Ohio's current abortion restrictions, which have been in place since the day the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Ohio law bans doctors from performing abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which can be as soon as six weeks into pregnancy. (Balmert, 9/7)
AP: Abortion Floor Debate Splits South Carolina Republicans
The South Carolina Senate’s three Republican women all said Wednesday that they could not support an abortion ban that did not include exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. Two different attempts to get the exceptions back into the bill failed later in the day. Senators adjourned Wednesday evening without a final vote. (Collins, 9/7)
AP: Judge Who Voided Minnesota Abortion Limits Blocks Appeal Bid
A Minnesota judge who struck down key restrictions on abortion in the state has rejected a bid by a county prosecutor who hopes to appeal the ruling. Ramsey County District Judge Thomas Gilligan ruled Tuesday night that Traverse County Attorney Matthew Franzese is not entitled to intervene in the case. Franzese had hoped to pursue an appeal after Attorney General Keith Ellison declined to challenge Gilligan’s previous ruling that Minnesota’s restrictions were unconstitutional. (Karnowski, 9/7)
From Tennessee, Texas, and Iowa —
AP: Nashville: No License Plate Readers In Imposing Abortion Ban
Law enforcement in Nashville will be prohibited from using license plate readers to enforce Tennessee’s anti-abortion laws, city council members decided. The move comes after Tennessee, which is politically controlled by Republicans, enacted one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S. last month. Under the law, almost all abortions are outlawed and doctors who violate the statute risk felony convictions. (Kruesi, 9/7)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Abortion Laws Led To 3-Day Delay For Woman's Treatment
Kristina Cruickshank knew she had lost her unborn baby. In her 15th week of pregnancy, a large fluid-filled sac surrounded the fetus, most prominently around the head and neck. Massive cysts, some filled with blood, covered her enlarged ovaries in a “spoke wheel pattern,” according to her medical records. Additional fluid had filled parts of her abdomen. (Gill, 9/7)
Iowa Public Radio: Abortion Bans Could Have Far-Reaching Impacts On The Black Community In The Midwest
When Jasmine Burnett got pregnant as a young college student in Indiana in 1998, she didn’t know exactly what her future would look like. Burnett had an abortion at around eight or nine weeks of pregnancy. She said it changed her life – for the better. (Krebs, 9/7)
In related election news —
Politico: ‘They’re Getting Killed Among Women’: Skeptical Female Voters Stand In Way Of GOP Senate
Republicans this election cycle thought they had finally achieved a breakthrough with suburban women after years of losing support. Now, as the primary season has all but ended, the GOP is back where it once was: Appealing directly to skeptical female voters, the women whose support will make or break the party’s drive to retake the Senate majority. A sure sign: One after the other, Republican nominees in top Senate battlegrounds have softened, backpedaled and sought to clarify their abortion positions after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Another is that male candidates have begun putting their wives in front of the camera to speak directly to voters in new television ads. (Allison, 9/6)
