Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Missouri Abortion Petition Is Rewritten By Judge To Remove Biased Wording
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Judge Rewrites Summary For Missouri Abortion Petition
A Cole County judge rewrote the ballot titles for six initiative petitions seeking to enshrine the right to abortion in the Missouri Constitution, ruling that 13 phrases in the summaries written by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft are “argumentative” or unfairly biased. In a ruling issued Monday morning, Circuit Judge Jon Beetem wrote that the summaries crafted by Ashcroft completely ignored the initiative proposals’ protections for contraceptives and other reproductive health needs. In a separate decision, Beetem upheld the fiscal note summary written by state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, rejecting claims by two state lawmakers and an anti-abortion activist that passage would impose enormous costs not reflected in the summary. (Keller, 9/26)
AP: A Judge Has Rewritten Missouri Ballot Summary Language That Described 'Dangerous' Abortions
Missouri is among several states, including Ohio, where abortion opponents are fighting efforts to ensure or restore access to the procedure following the fall of Roe v. Wade last year. If supporters gather enough voter signatures, the proposed constitutional amendments will go before Missouri voters in 2024. Ashcroft’s description asks voters whether they want to “allow for dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions, from conception to live birth, without requiring a medical license or potentially being subject to medical malpractice.” (Ballentine, 9/25)
Bloomberg Law: Abortion Case Pits Ohio Against Doctors Suing To Treat Patients
Access to abortion care in increasingly Republican Ohio may hinge on a technical but important legal issue: the ability for doctors and clinics to sue the state for access on behalf of their patients. The state Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case in which reproductive rights advocates argue that a law effectively banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy violates the Ohio Constitution, especially in the wake of a 2011 amendment that spells out the ability for people to make their own healthcare decisions. (Heisig, 9/26)
On other abortion developments across the country —
The New York Times: A New Border Crossing: Americans Turn To Mexico For Abortions
The text message Cynthia Menchaca received this summer was one she was seeing more and more: A woman living in Texas said she had left a violent relationship only to discover she was pregnant, and she desperately wanted an abortion. The woman had learned that Ms. Menchaca could send her abortion pills from Mexico, where the procedure has been decriminalized in several states. But the growing U.S. demand for abortion care is not limited to deliveries of medication, according to advocates like Ms. Menchaca, who lives in Coahuila state in northeastern Mexico. (Kanno-Youngs and Espriella, 9/25)
Wfmynews2.Com: More NC Women Seeking Sterilization Amid Abortion Restrictions
North Carolina women are now considering permanent sterilization procedures like hysterectomies or getting their tubes tied, according to doctors. This trend comes after state lawmakers approved a 12-week restriction on abortions this summer. “There is no longer wiggle room or room for error," Dr. Kavita Arora, an OB-GYN at UNC School of Medicine, said. Arora said the data is still limited, but she's seen a rise in the number of women requesting sterilization to avoid getting pregnant. She believes the requests asking for permanent birth control are directly related to state abortion laws. (Wilson, 9/25)
Axios Phoenix: Abortions Have Decreased By 16% In Arizona Since 2020
The number of abortions performed in Arizona fell by 16%, based on a comparison of 2020 and 2023 data. Meanwhile, abortions increased in neighboring states with looser abortion laws — most notably in New Mexico, where procedures have surged 220%. (Boehm and Bettelheim, 9/25)
Axios Boston: Abortion Rights Advocates Are Trying To Make New England A Safe Haven
Reproductive Equity Now, the advocacy group behind successful efforts to bolster abortion rights laws in Massachusetts, is expanding into Connecticut and New Hampshire. The Boston-based organization wants to build an abortion safe haven across New England, a region where state laws and resources for reproductive health still vary. Codifying abortion protections in state law can shield states from any national abortion restrictions. (Solis, 9/26)
Meanwhile, former President Trump is voicing his opinions —
PolitiFact: Fact Check: Does Trump Support Punishing Women Who Have Abortions?
The claim: A new ad from President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign takes aim at some of his Republican rivals’ positions on abortion, highlighting comments by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. PolitiFact ruling: Mostly False. A Biden campaign ad featured a clip of Trump saying “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions. This is misleading. Trump made the comment in a 2016 MSNBC interview, but walked it back the same day. (Putterman, 9/25)
