Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Minnesota Governor Signs Bill Guaranteeing Abortion Rights
Minnesota Public Radio: Walz Signs Bill Guaranteeing Abortion Access In Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday signed into law a proposal that guarantees in state law the right to abortion and other reproductive health care options. (Ferguson, 1/31)
AP: Indiana Justices Won't Hear 2nd Abortion Case For Now
Indiana’s high court said it will not immediately consider a challenge to the state’s abortion ban that is based on the argument that the law violates some people’s religious freedoms, leaving that decision to an appeals court, at least for now. The state Supreme Court issued an order Monday saying the state Court of Appeals will first consider the case, after a lower court judge in December sided with residents who claim the state’s abortion ban infringes on their religious beliefs. (Rodgers, 1/31)
AP: Vermont Lawmakers Mull Bills To Protect Abortion Providers
Vermont lawmakers are taking testimony on a pair of bills that aim to protect health care workers who provide abortions and gender-affirming health care in Vermont from legal and disciplinary action from states that limit or ban those practices. The bills were introduced seven months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and as states have restricted or taken steps to protect access to such care. (Rathke, 1/31)
In related news —
The Colorado Sun: Another Colorado Hospital Stops Letting Women Get Their Tubes Tied
When the only hospital in Durango with a maternity ward decided that it would no longer let women get their tubes tied, there was no public announcement. Mercy Hospital’s website doesn’t spell it out, either. Instead, a read-between-the-lines statement added to the Centura Health hospital’s website in September noted that Mercy is “responsible for conducting itself in a manner consistent with the ethical principles of the Catholic church ministry.” (Brown, 1/31)
The Kansas City Star: Missouri Woman Files Federal Complaint Against Hospitals She Says Denied Emergency Abortion
The National Women’s Law Center on Monday filed a federal civil rights complaint against hospitals in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois for allegedly denying a Joplin woman life-saving abortion care last year after her water broke at 18 weeks of pregnancy. (Bayless, 1/31)
AP: Anti-Abortion Activists Aim To Sway GOP White House Hopefuls
Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the 2024 presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the Republican Party. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the most influential group in the anti-abortion movement, is telling each potential GOP presidential hopeful that to win its backing — or avoid being a target of its opposition — they must support national restrictions on the procedure. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother are acceptable, the activists say, but leaving the question for states to decide is not. (Burnett and Colvin, 2/1)
CNN: Survey Finds Widespread Confusion Around Medication Abortion In Post-Roe US
Nearly half of adults in the United States – including 2 out of 5 women of childbearing age – are unsure whether medication abortion is legal in their state, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey was conducted in mid-January, more than six months after the US Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and revoked the federal right to abortion. (McPhillips, 12/1)
