Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Missouri Governor Says He Won't Open Investigation Into Spreadsheet Of Patients' Periods Despite Furor
Kansas City Star: Parson Won’t Investigate Spreadsheet Of Patients
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said on Friday he will not call for an investigation into the state’s health department following the revelation that the agency kept a spreadsheet that tracked the menstrual cycles of Planned Parenthood’s abortion patients. Parson, a Republican, has remained largely silent since the spreadsheet’s existence was revealed Tuesday during a state administrative commission hearing in St. Louis. (Kite and Thomas, 11/1)
Kansas City Star: Social Media Campaign Protests Abortion Patient Spreadsheet
An abortion rights advocacy organization has launched a social media campaign to protest the Missouri state health department tracking the periods of the women who sought abortions at Planned Parenthood’s St. Louis clinic. At the urging of NARAL Pro-choice Missouri, people have uploaded photos to Twitter with a period product, like a box of tampons or pads, and added “#TrackThisRandy,” a reference to the health department’s director, Dr. Randall Williams. (Thomas, 11/1)
In other abortion news —
Politico Pro: Abortion Could Decide Kentucky’s Close Governor’s Race
The Kentucky governor’s race was teed up to be about Obamacare — just like the last one, which put Republican Matt Bevin into office. Until it became all about abortion. The unpopular incumbent’s harsh attacks on Democratic challenger Attorney General Andy Beshear’s backing of abortion rights, rare for a Southern gubernatorial candidate, has Democrats worried about their chances slipping away in a race that has grown unexpectedly close. One recent poll found the two men tied — in a state that President Donald Trump carried by a whopping 30 points in 2016. (Pradhan, 11/3)
