Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ohio's August Election Has Huge Implications For Abortion Rights
CNN: Ohio Republicans Approve August Election That Could Thwart Abortion-Rights Push In State
Ohio voters will decide this summer whether to make it more difficult to change the state’s constitution – only months before a potential ballot measure in November over whether to guarantee abortion rights in the state. Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature this week approved a resolution that will ask voters in August to increase the threshold needed to change the constitution from a simple majority to 60%. It also would require backers of ballot initiatives to get signatures from voters in all of Ohio’s 88 counties – rather than current 44 – to place something on the ballot. (Schouten, 5/11)
Axios: Ohio's Abortion Rights Battle Intensifies After Special Election Resolution Passes
Though several crucial steps remain, increasing the constitutional amendment passage threshold by 10 percentage points could mean everything for the future of abortion rights in Ohio. ... "Based on polling, there's plenty of reason to believe that the [abortion rights] amendment would pass if only a simple majority were required," Christopher Devine, associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton, tells Axios. "But based on recent evidence, I do not expect that it would clear a 60% threshold." (Smith and Buchanan, 5/12)
In other abortion news —
The 19th: House Democrats Seek Answers About Mifepristone Abortion Pill Access At Pharmacies
Over 60 House Democrats are looking for answers from AmerisourceBergen following reports that the company would not distribute the abortion pill to pharmacies in up to 31 states. AmerisourceBergen is the sole U.S. distributor of Mifeprex, the brand name for mifepristone, a drug used in a two-step regimen to terminate pregnancies and manage miscarriages. (Panetta, 5/11)
Connecticut Public: Wesleyan University Will Pay For Students' Abortions, Contraception
Wesleyan University has agreed to pay for emergency contraception and abortions for all students. The move comes after a petition gained over 700 signatures. (Torres, 5/11)
The New York Times: Abortion Access Keeps Winning Elections
The 2024 elections offer supporters of abortion rights an opportunity to continue their winning streak. There are 10 states that both significantly restrict abortion (or may soon) and allow citizen-sponsored ballot initiatives, including Florida, Ohio and Arizona. Placing measures on the ballots there offers progressives a possible double victory — to expand access and energize 2024 turnout among Democratic voters. But it remains unclear how many of these states will hold referendums. (Leonhardt and Bentahar, 5/11)
On birth control access —
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Makes It Easier For Women To Get Birth Control Directly From Pharmacists, Without Doctors’ Visits
The state’s top public health official has signed an order allowing women across Illinois to get hormonal birth control directly from pharmacists, without first visiting their doctors. The head of the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a standing order Wednesday that will allow pharmacists who complete additional training to dispense hormonal patches, vaginal rings, oral contraceptives and contraceptive injections to patients. Patients will not need prescriptions from their own doctors first. (Schencker, 5/11)
In news about maternity care and childbirth —
Columbus Dispatch: 10 Ohio Hospitals Closed Labor And Delivery Services Since June 2022
Access to maternity care continues to decline in the United States and in Ohio, with multiple maternity wards closing in the past year. Since June 2022, the Ohio Hospital Association has counted 10 maternity wards closing across the state, according to spokesman John Palmer. Some merged or moved to a partner hospital, but Palmer said the reasons given for the closures centered around workforce issues, operational costs and a decline in use due to fewer births in Ohio. (King, 5/11)
Axios: Closing Rural Iowa Birthing Units Is Hurting Delivery Outcomes
Expectant mothers are less likely to access prenatal care in rural counties where birthing units have shut down, despite other prenatal providers still being available locally. Pregnant mothers who attend less prenatal care appointments are more likely to deliver prematurely, and both parent and baby have a higher risk of complications. (Ta, 5/11)
Stateline: Low Fertility Rates, High Housing Prices Mean Fewer Children In Most States
Thirty-five states have fewer children than they did five years ago, a situation caused by declining birth rates nationwide, but also by young families migrating across state borders in search of cheaper housing. Even in the 15 states that gained children, all but North Dakota experienced greater growth in the adult population, meaning children now make up a lower percentage of residents. (Henderson, 5/11)
