Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ohio Abortion Ban Temporarily Halted
The New York Times: Ohio Judge Temporarily Suspends Abortion Ban
An Ohio judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, saying that the right to abortion is protected under the state’s Constitution. The decision restores broad abortion access — at least for the next 14 days — in Ohio and widens access in a block of states where abortion has been banned or unavailable since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision ended the constitutional right to abortion. (Zernike, 9/14)
The Hill: Judge Blocks Ohio’s Six-Week Abortion Ban For 14 Days
Jenkins granted the pause in part because he believes the plaintiffs have a substantially likely chance of winning the case under protections granted by the state’s constitution. “No great stretch is required to find that Ohio law recognizes a fundamental right to privacy, procreation, bodily integrity and freedom of choice in health care decision making,” Jenkins wrote in the ruling. (Schonfeld, 9/14)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Hamilton County Judge Immediately Halts Enforcement Of Ohio’s Fetal ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Law For 14 Days; Abortion Now Legal Until 22 Weeks
In his ruling, Jenkins acknowledged affidavits submitted by doctors with examples of Ohio patients who had been turned away from getting abortions due to the heartbeat law. ... A high-school-aged student was on suicide watch in a hospital after being turned away for an abortion because of SB 23, according to an affidavit. Several patients who had ectopic pregnancies were turned away from emergency rooms because of SB 23, even though there is a medical exception for the woman’s health. But doctors apparently were concerned that “intrauterine pregnancies might also be present and feared prosecution under S.B. 23 if they aborted such a pregnancy when intending to treat an ectopic pregnancy.” One woman’s fallopian tube ruptured because she didn’t get an abortion, requiring surgery, Jenkins’ ruling said.(Hancock, 9/14)
In abortion updates from West Virginia and Indiana —
The Washington Post: Most Abortions Stop In West Virginia After Lawmakers Pass Near-Total Ban
The Women’s Health Center had an empty parking lot Wednesday. A printed sign on the door said the health center was “closed for staff rest” and would open the next day. Across the street, a crisis pregnancy center run by antiabortion advocates remained open to patients. (Shepherd and Heyman, 9/14)
Indianapolis Star: Indiana's Abortion Law Goes Into Effect Today
Abortion care providers say it's difficult to predict how many abortions will performed in Indiana under the new law. Last year, 8,414 abortions occurred in Indiana, according to the Indiana Department of Health's annual pregnancy termination report. The report does not include information on how many of those abortions were performed for any of the instances allowed under the new law. (Rudavsky, 9/15)
From Philadelphia and Texas —
AP: Philadelphia To Consider Local Abortion Access Protections
Members of the Philadelphia City Council announced plans Wednesday to introduce legislation aimed at protecting access to abortions inside city limits — including a bill proponents said would be one of the nation’s strongest privacy protection laws. The measures would bar the voluntary sharing of information about reproductive health choices for the purpose of prosecution or civil lawsuits and update the city’s antidiscrimination laws to include protections for reproductive health decisions. It also would create a right of patients and providers to counter-sue if they are sued by out-of-state residents under one of several laws seeking to prevent people from traveling across state lines to seek abortions. (9/14)
Houston Chronicle: Baylor Says Texas Abortion Law Uncertainty Is Making Doctors Lose Confidence And Needs Clarity
Baylor College of Medicine on Wednesday released a position paper saying Texas abortion laws need further clarity to allow physicians to provide medically necessary terminations — the latest example of the ethical challenges that healthcare providers now face in a post-Roe landscape. (Gill, 9/14)
