Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Prosecutors Say They Won't Enforce State Abortion Bans
The New York Times: In States Banning Abortion, A Growing Rift Over Enforcement
Dozens of Democratic prosecutors who represent liberal pockets in conservative states already have vowed to resist bans by refusing to bring charges against abortion providers. But in many rural areas and outlying suburbs, conservative prosecutors have said they will enforce their state bans. (Goodman and Healy, 6/29)
CNN: Abortion: Some Big-City District Attorneys Vow Not To Prosecute Providers, Setting Up Legal Clashes In Red States
More than a third of the district attorneys representing the 25 most populous counties in states that have banned or are set to ban abortion have publicly vowed not to prosecute abortion cases, according to a CNN review. (Tolan, 6/30)
In related news —
The Hill: Biden Plans To Nominate Anti-Abortion Lawyer As Federal Judge: Yarmuth
President Biden plans to nominate a conservative lawyer who has represented anti-abortion causes to a federal judgeship in Kentucky, according to Rep. John Yarmuth’s (D-Ky.) office. Chad Meredith, the attorney, has previously served as Kentucky’s solicitor general and represented a number of Kentucky’s top GOP officials in cases curbing abortion access and COVID-19 public health measures. (Schonfeld, 6/29)
On crossing state lines for an abortion —
The Washington Post: Anti-Abortion Lawmakers Seek To Block Patients From Crossing State Lines
Several national antiabortion groups and their allies in Republican-led state legislatures are advancing plans to stop people in states where abortion is banned from seeking the procedure elsewhere, according to people involved in the discussions. ... The Thomas More Society, a conservative legal organization, is drafting model legislation for state lawmakers that would allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a resident of a state that has banned abortion from terminating a pregnancy outside of that state. (Kitchener and Barrett, 6/29)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Uptick In Out Of State Abortion Patients Coming To NH, Maine, Vermont
Staff at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England are reporting a spike in appointments for contraceptives and an uptick in out-of-state abortion patients following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end the constitutional right to abortion. Since Roe fell on Friday, a handful of patients from states like South Dakota and Louisiana, where the procedure is now illegal, have scheduled abortions in northern New England. Abortions remain legal in New Hampshire up to 24 weeks, and past that in a few circumstances. (Fam, 6/29)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Page Backs $1 Million St. Louis County Plan To Help Residents Get Out-Of-State Abortions
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Wednesday backed a proposal before the County Council to set aside $1 million in federal pandemic aid to help people get abortions in other states. The proposal is a response to the state’s ban on most abortions, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade. Page on Wednesday said the Supreme Court decision “endangered the lives of millions of Americans” and “triggered a major public health crisis in Missouri.” (Benchaabane, 6/29)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Abortion Funds Fear Jail Time In Post-Roe Legal Turmoil
For years, the Frontera Fund hotline has helped residents of the Rio Grande Valley access and pay for abortions in the region and out of state. But now, callers get just a recorded voicemail message: “In light of the Supreme Court decision and the uncertainty around Texas law, we are forced to pause funding at this time,” the recording says. “We are working diligently with our lawyers and national partners to get through this crisis.” As one of two full-time staffers at the Frontera Fund, Cathy Torres has been fielding these calls for years. Now, each missed call breaks her heart a little more. (Douglas and Klibanoff, 6/29)
KHN: Watch: Crossing State Lines For Abortion Care
Since last week’s Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, one state after another has outlawed abortion. Illinois is one of the few states in the middle of the country where people can still legally access abortion care. In this report co-produced by PBS NewsHour, KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney traveled from Illinois’ border with Missouri to its border with Wisconsin to talk to clinicians who provide abortion care. Dr. Erin King is the executive director of Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. (6/29)
The 19th: How Much Does An Abortion Cost? Travel, Medical Supplies Have Prices Rising
Soaring inflation is making travel more expensive just as millions of people have lost access to abortion in their own states, stretching the already limited resources of the private funds that help people pay for the procedures. (Luthra, 6/29)
NPR: Supreme Court's Ruling Makes It Even Harder For Adolescents To Get Abortions
Before last week, adolescents seeking abortions in the U.S. already had to struggle through a thicket of legal hurdles and logistical challenges to access reproductive health care. The Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade made it that much harder. A number of states have already banned or severely restricted abortions in light of the ruling — laws that apply equally to adolescents and adults. Young people who go out of state to seek abortions elsewhere in the U.S. may run up against laws requiring parental involvement, which are common across the country. (Hernandez, 6/28)
