Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mifepristone Starts To Become Available At Some Pharmacies
Politico: Pharmacies Begin Dispensing Abortion Pills
A handful of independent pharmacies across the country have quietly begun dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone under new rules created by the Biden administration earlier this year, even as a looming Supreme Court case could reimpose restrictions or ban the drugs entirely. Thousands of branches of major pharmacy chains are poised to join them — making the drugs more accessible to millions of people nationwide and kicking off a new phase of the legal and political battle over the most popular method of ending a pregnancy. (Ollstein and Gardner, 10/6)
In abortion news from Florida —
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay: Florida AG Ashley Moody Will Attempt To Block Constitutional Amendment Ensuring Abortion Rights
Attorney General Ashley Moody will try to block a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to ensure abortion rights in Florida, according to a filing Monday at the state Supreme Court. Moody took a required step of asking the Supreme Court to review the wording of the proposed amendment, which supporters hope to put on the November 2024 ballot. As part of that filing, Moody wrote, “I submit that the aforementioned initiative does not satisfy the legal requirements for ballot placement.” The Supreme Court plays a key gatekeeper role, as it reviews proposed ballot initiatives to determine if the wording is clear and is limited to single subjects. It can reject initiatives that don’t meet legal standards. (Saunders and News Service of Florida, 10/9)
News Service of Florida: Initiative To Get An Abortion Amendment On The Ballot Tops 400,000 Signatures
Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights have topped 400,000 valid petition signatures submitted to the state. The Florida Division of Elections website on Thursday showed 402,082 valid signatures for the proposal, which the political committee Floridians Protecting Freedom is trying to put on the November 2024 ballot. The total reflects signatures that have been validated, not necessarily the overall number of signatures collected. (10/9)
More abortion news from across the U.S. —
Ms. Magazine: California Brings First-Time Lawsuit Against Anti-Abortion Movement’s 'Abortion Pill Reversal' Scheme
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit on Sept. 21 against a chain of California crisis pregnancy centers and its national parent organization for false advertising of “abortion pill reversal” (APR)—an unproven and possibly dangerous high-dose progesterone intervention the anti-abortion movement claims can “reverse” an underway medication abortion. This is the first lawsuit in the country challenging the CPC industry’s promotion of APR. (McKenna and Baker, 10/9)
NPR: Michigan Dems Push To Ease Access To Abortion. But One Democrat Is Saying No
Michigan Democrats want to pass new bills to remove abortion obstacles like a 24-hour waiting period, and a ban on Medicaid reimbursement. But one Democrat doesn't agree — and they need her vote. (Wells, 10/10)
Kansas Reflector: Abortion Rights Advocates Say Consequences Dire If SCOTUS Declines To Hear Pill Case
More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided states could set their own abortion laws, including bans, the nation’s highest court now could cut off abortion access in states where abortion is still legal. The Supreme Court began its new term this week and has yet to announce whether it will hear Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, before the term ends in June 2024. This case was designed by the religious right to overturn the approval of the commonly used abortion drug mifepristone. But whatever the court does — even if it declines to hear the case — will further alter healthcare access in the U.S., reproductive health advocates said on a call to reporters Thursday. (Resnick, 10/8)
The Atlantic: Virginia Could Decide The Future Of The GOP’s Abortion Policy
A crucial new phase in the political struggle over abortion rights is unfolding in suburban neighborhoods across Virginia. An array of closely divided suburban and exurban districts around the state will decide which party controls the Virginia state legislature after next month’s election, and whether Republicans here succeed in an ambitious attempt to reframe the politics of abortion rights that could reverberate across the nation. (Brownstein, 10/8)
News 5 Cleveland: In Ohio, Black Women Get Abortions At A Much Higher Rate
There are six times as many white women as Black women in Ohio. Yet last year, Black women had more abortions. The wild disparity and other data in the most recent state abortion report suggest that economics plays a huge role in women’s decisions about whether to abort a pregnancy. The economic impacts of pregnancy and abortion might be considerations for Ohioans as they go to the polls on Nov. 7 to vote on Issue 1, an amendment that would enshrine reproductive rights in the state Constitution. (Schladen, 10/9)
NPR: Republican Group Pushes For Exceptions To Missouri's Abortion Ban
Missouri is turning to voters after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 'Roe v. Wade.' Abortion rights advocates are trying to repeal the ban in 2024 — and that includes a new Republican-led nonprofit. (Rosenbaum, 10/9)
In other news about maternal health —
The Baltimore Sun: Morgan State Prepares To Lead National Research Network For Maternal Health
The topic of babies came up when Kesha Baptiste-Roberts was chatting recently with a young woman working the counter at a makeup store in the mall. The worker, a Black woman, told Baptiste-Roberts she didn’t want to get pregnant. Not because it wasn’t the right time for her, or because she didn’t want kids. Because she didn’t want to die. (Roberts, 10/9)
