Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Near-Total Arkansas Abortion Ban Blocked By Federal Judge
The Washington Post: Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Abortion Ban Designed As Challenge To Roe V. Wade
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked an Arkansas law banning nearly all abortions, calling it an “imminent threat” to the constitutional rights of women seeking abortions in the state. Judge Kristine Baker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas issued a preliminary injunction, preventing the law from being enforced until she can issue a final ruling. (Pietsch, 7/21)
CNN: Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas' Near-Total Abortion Ban
Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the bill into law in March and has been blunt about its goal of overhauling abortion rights. He told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" later that month, "I signed it because it is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade," the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized the procedure nationally. The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and Planned Parenthood, which filed the lawsuit against the Arkansas ban along with other abortion rights groups, cheered the order. (Kelly and Riess, 7/20)
In other news about abortion —
Arkansas Times: Activists Hang Pro-Abortion Banner On Christ Of The Ozarks
Guerilla art collective Indecline said in a press release that it is responsible for a “God Bless Abortions” banner hanging across the 67-foot statue of Jesus located atop Magnetic Mountain. The group calls the banner a piece of protest art in “direct response to the dramatic attempts being made in Arkansas and throughout the South, to ban abortion services to women in need.” Indecline says it was smuggled onto the mountain by a small team disguised as a construction crew and strung up before sunrise on Friday. (Brantley, 7/9)
Deseret News: National Association Of Christian Lawmakers Praises Texas Heartbeat Bill
The National Association of Christian Lawmakers has officially launched a nationwide push against abortion rights. At its first annual policy conference last weekend, group members voted to make a controversial new Texas law, the “Texas Heartbeat Bill,” the organization’s first piece of model legislation, meaning that similar bills may soon pop up in state capitols across the country. The model legislation, called the Heartbeat Model Act, was accepted unanimously by the executive committee during a Saturday meeting. (Jaradat, 7/20)
AP: Fourth State In Mexico Legalizes Abortion, Up To 12 Weeks
Mexico’s Gulf coast state of Veracruz became the fourth of the country’s 32 states to legalize abortion Tuesday. The Veracruz state legislature voted 25-13 to allow abortions in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy. Those who perform abortions on women after the first three months can be punished by 15 to 60 days in prison, which can be substituted by a fine and 50 to 100 of community work. (7/21)
