Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Minnesota Jury Says Pharmacist Had The Right To Refuse Morning-After Pill
AP: Minnesota Jury: Woman Wasn't Entitled To Morning-After Pill
A jury on Friday ruled that a central Minnesota pharmacist did not violate a woman’s rights when he refused to provide her emergency contraceptives more than three years ago. Andrea Anderson, a mother of five from McGregor, sued under the Minnesota Human Rights Act after the pharmacist, based on his religious beliefs, refused to accommodate her request. ... Anderson eventually got her prescription filled at a pharmacy in Brainerd, making the round-trip of more than 100 miles in wintry driving conditions. (8/5)
In abortion updates from California, Kansas, and Florida —
Los Angeles Times: Proposed Abortion Ban Dies In San Clemente After Heated City Council Meeting
A proposal to declare San Clemente an abortion-free city has died after an emotional meeting where dozens of residents spoke on both sides of the issue. The City Council voted 3 to 1 Saturday to withdraw the proposal from the agenda of an upcoming meeting. Despite San Clemente’s reputation as a conservative bastion, the proposal has mostly fallen flat. (Do, 8/7)
AP: 5th Abortion Clinic Opened In Kansas In Lead Up To Vote
Planned Parenthood quietly opened another abortion clinic in Kansas in the lead up to a decisive statewide vote in favor of protecting abortion access. The Wyandotte Health Center in Kansas City, Kansas, had long been in the works but opened with little notice this summer. ... It brings the number of clinics in the state to five, three of which are operated by Planned Parenthood. (8/5)
AP: Florida Prosecutor Vows To Fight Gov. DeSantis Suspension
A Florida prosecutor vowed Sunday to fight his suspension from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis over his promise not to enforce the state’s 15-week abortion ban and support for gender transition treatments for minors. Andrew Warren, a Democrat suspended last week from his twice-elected post as state attorney in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, said in a Facebook video message and news release Sunday he plans a “vigorous defense” by his legal team but did not give specifics. (Anderson, 8/7)
For doctors and patients, frustration and confusion abound —
The Washington Post: A Challenge For Antiabortion States: Doctors Reluctant To Work There
In a few years, Olgert Bardhi’s skills will be in high demand. A first-year resident in internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, he’ll be a full-fledged physician by 2025 in a nation facing a shortage of primary care doctors. The trouble for Texas: Because of the state’s strict antiabortion laws, Bardhi’s not sure he will remain there. (Rowland, 8/6)
NPR: Confusion Roiled Michigan For Days As Abortion Rights Changed Hour To Hour
When Dr. Audrey Lance, an OB-GYN at Northland Family Planning Centers in Metro Detroit, got to work Monday morning, abortion was legal in the state of Michigan. By noon, it wasn't. Then by 5 p.m., it was legal again, with at least some certainty it would probably stay that way, at least until a hearing Wednesday. (Wells, 8/5)
KHN: Patients And Doctors Trapped In A Gray Zone When Abortion Laws And Emergency Care Mandate Conflict
Each week, Dr. Kim Puterbaugh sees several pregnant patients at a Cleveland hospital who are experiencing complications involving bleeding or infection. The OB-GYN has to make quick decisions about how to treat them, including whether to remove the dead or dying fetus to protect the health and life of the mother. Leaving in place a fetus that has no chance of survival dramatically increases the chance of maternal infection and permanent injury. But now her medical decisions are complicated by Ohio’s new abortion law, which generally prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy if cardiac activity is detected in the embryo or fetus — which can persist for hours or days even if a pregnancy has no chance of progressing. (Meyer, 8/8)
The New York Times: Some Women Turn To Self-Managed Abortion As Access Recedes
In states that have banned abortion, some women with unwanted pregnancies are pursuing an unconventional workaround: They are “self-managing” their abortions, seeking out the necessary know-how online and obtaining the medications without the supervision of a clinic or a doctor. At first glance, the practice may recall the days before Roe v. Wade, when women too often were forced to take risky measures to end an unwanted pregnancy. But the advent of medication abortion — accomplished with drugs, rather than in-office procedures — has transformed reproductive care, posing a significant challenge to anti-abortion legislation. (Rabin, 8/7)
What's next in the playbook for Republicans, Democrats? —
The Washington Post: Post-Roe, Some In GOP Wage Uphill Battle To Offer Families More Support
GOP aides and conservative policy analysts are skeptical that the Supreme Court decision will produce a meaningful shift in the party’s stance on federal family benefits. Republicans have mostly opposed Democrats’ efforts to create new social programs for the last century. Meanwhile, one of their central economic policy goals — cutting federal taxes — is at odds with an expanded safety net. (Stein and Caldwell, 8/7)
Politico: Republican Lawmaker: Abortion Could Hurt GOP In November If Party Goes Too Far
GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace on Sunday warned that Republicans could pay a price in November if they don’t reel in extreme takes on abortion policy. The Republican from South Carolina supports the overturning of Roe v. Wade but criticized bans that states have implemented that take measures such as preventing a person traveling out of state for care or include no exceptions for rape or incest. (Ward, 8/7)
AP: Dems Rally Around Abortion. Are They Reaching Black Voters?
Facing critical races for governor and U.S. Senate, Democratic hopefuls in Wisconsin are hoping that their support for abortion rights in the face of a Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade can overcome the headwinds of a midterm election long expected to favor Republicans. But there’s one key group their strategies might fail to mobilize: Black voters. An issue with strong support from white Democrats is more complicated in the Black community, especially among churchgoers who hold more conservative views on abortion. The topic is so fraught that most community organizers avoid bringing it up. (Venhuizen, 8/7)
