Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NC Lawmakers Advance Revised Bill To Ban Abortion After 12 Weeks
AP: Republicans Close In On Changes To New North Carolina Abortion Law That Could Counter A Lawsuit
Late revisions to new North Carolina abortion restrictions scheduled to begin this weekend cleared the state Senate on Monday night, changes that if enacted could frustrate pending litigation seeking to stop the law’s enforcement. The Senate voted overwhelmingly for a measure containing what the Republican supporters have called clarifying and technical changes to a law approved last month over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto that in part will ban starting Saturday most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. This will replace current rules that ban nearly all abortions after 20 weeks. The new law also adds exceptions to the 12-week ban. (Robertson, 6/26)
AP: Arguments Over South Carolina Abortion Ban Returns To Newly All-Male State Supreme Court
The right to an abortion in South Carolina is back before the state’s highest court as Republicans try to restore a ban that was overturned earlier this year — this time in front of the only state Supreme Court in the nation made up entirely of men. Tuesday’s oral arguments will mark the second time since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal protections last summer that lawyers for the state and providers will present their arguments to the state Supreme Court. A 3-2 majority in January tossed a similar law that banned abortion once cardiac activity is detected, or at about six weeks and before most people know they are pregnant. (Pollard, 6/27)
Fox News: Tennessee Rep. Green Introduces States Choose Life Act To Stop Biden Admin's 'Retribution' On Pro-Life States
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., will introduce the States Choose Life Act of 2023 on Tuesday to protect Tennessee and other pro-life states from the Biden administration and "retribution" from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Fox News has learned. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Green said his legislation would prevent the HHS from stripping Title X funding from states that do not allow abortions and do not refer residents to abortion-allowing states, as it is doing to Tennessee. (Richard, 6/27)
The CT Mirror: CT Abortion Provider Sees Sharp Increase In Out-Of-State Clients
As nearly two dozen state legislatures across the country have moved to restrict or ban abortion access since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer, Connecticut’s largest abortion provider has seen a 56% increase in people traveling from many of those places for care. But while the percentage of people coming from out of state has skyrocketed — namely from southern states like Tennessee and Texas — the wait times for those seeking abortions are “definitely better,” according to Nancy Stanwood, the chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, who added that people of color and people with low income account for many of the individuals pursuing care. (Edison, 6/27)
Bangor Daily News: Police Investigating Anti-Abortion Messages Left Near Maine House Speaker's Home
Portland police were called to the home of Maine House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross on Saturday after anti-abortion flyers and chalk messages were left in the area on the heels of a blockbuster vote on the subject in her chamber. The incendiary messages were publicized on Monday by abortion-rights groups aligned with Talbot Ross and her fellow Democrats, who condemned them alongside a top anti-abortion group. It comes at a tense point on a Democratic bill to allow doctors perform abortions that deem necessary after the state’s current viability cutoff around 24 weeks into a pregnancy. (Shepherd, 6/26)
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Axios: "It's Gotten Much More Complicated": GOP's Post-Roe Abortion Catch-22
Former President Trump and other Republican presidential hopefuls are skirting questions about what abortion policies they'd support if elected, in a sign of ambivalence over a topic that's perennially fired up the conservative base. Driving the news: Trump over the weekend said that the federal government had a "vital role" in opposing abortion, but wouldn't elaborate on what federal restrictions he'd support — a guarded stance for someone who's accustomed to defining the terms of intra-party debates. (Gonzalez, 6/27)
