Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
North Carolina, Colorado Governors Issue Orders To Protect Abortion Access
Raleigh News & Observer: Cooper Moves To Protect Abortion Access In NC, Including For Travelers From Out Of State
North Carolina may become a destination for women who are seeking abortion care and coming from states with more restrictive laws since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month. Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday said he’ll continue to fight for abortion rights and signed an executive order aimed to protect access to services in the state. He said states are “taking our country backward to the ‘50s and ‘60s where women died in back alleys.” (Baumgartner Vaughan, 7/6)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Will Not Cooperate With Abortion Investigations, Polis Declares
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order Wednesday saying the state will protect people who seek abortions and those who provide them, including those in other states. (Fish, 7/6)
The Hill: Pentagon Allows Networks To Access Abortion-Related Websites
The Department of Defense (DOD) said Wednesday that it will allow its networks to access abortion-related websites, permitting military and civilian personnel to access those sites on the agency’s computers. (Williams, 7/6)
From Michigan and Georgia —
Axios: Abortion Rights Petition Blows Past Michigan's Signature Threshold
The effort to enshrine abortion access in Michigan's Constitution has likely gathered enough signatures to make the Nov. 2 ballot. Driving the news: The Reproductive Freedom for All ballot initiative is nearing 800,000 signatures, Ann Arbor Council Member Linh Song, who co-chairs the ballot committee, said at a council meeting Tuesday. (Robinson, 7/7)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia’s Abortion Rights Battle Is About To Shift To Local Governments
The battle over access to abortion in Georgia is poised to shift to local officials who see themselves as a last line of defense after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. Prosecutors covering some of Georgia’s most densely populated areas have vowed they won’t seek charges against violators of the state’s anti-abortion law. Police agencies are under pressure to focus on violent crimes rather than abortion cases. (Bluestein and Papp, 7/6)
On abortion access in Australia, Canada, and Ireland —
The Washington Post: Access To Abortion In Australia Becomes Easier Amid Roe V. Wade
Access to abortion became easier in Australia on Thursday as decriminalization took effect in South Australia state, part of a wave of liberalization that contrasts with recent moves in the United States. For the most part, abortion is not the subject of polarizing national debate Down Under, as it often is in American politics. But the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade shocked many Australians, leading thousands to attend rallies in support of abortion rights. (Vinall, 7/7)
NPR: Canadian Abortion Providers Prepare For Possible Influx From The U.S.
Kemlin Nembhard, head of the Women's Health Clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba, says there has been no way to plan for a post-Roe world. No signal of how many Americans might look for abortion services in Winnipeg, a little over an hour's drive from the U.S. border, now that the Supreme Court ruled Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade. "Are people going to be coming north? Or Are they going to go to another state? We don't know," she said. (Jacobs, 7/5)
NBC News: Death Of A Dentist In Ireland Denied An Abortion Has Worried Doctors Who Say History May Repeat In U.S.
Dr. Savita Halappanavar, 31, an Indian-born dentist, died in 2012 in Galway, on Ireland’s west coast, after she was denied an abortion by doctors who cited the country’s strict laws, even though there was no chance her baby would survive, according to Ireland’s official report on the case. Her death shook the foundations of the traditionally conservative and predominantly Roman Catholic country and catalyzed its pro-abortion rights movement. In a 2018 referendum, Irish people voted by a two-thirds majority to legalize the procedure. (Smith, 7/4)
