Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Overseas Nonprofits Shipping More Abortion Pills To US
The Wall Street Journal: Abortion-Pill Orders Increase, Even In Restrictive States
U.S. companies that prescribe abortion pills after telehealth consultations are expanding, but only in states that allow the practice, after the Supreme Court last month removed constitutional protections for abortion. Nonprofits based abroad, meanwhile, are mailing more pills to women across the U.S., including patients in states that have banned or restricted medication abortion. (Abbott and Montes, 7/18)
Axios: Demand For Abortion Pills Mifepristone And Misoprostol Soar Following Roe's Demise
Demand for abortion pills is soaring following last month's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, even as states move to ban or restrict access. (Gonzalez and Gold, 7/18)
On how medical training is changing —
Axios: Abortion Training Set To Change After Dobbs Decision
Virtual training and practice on anatomical models may soon become the norm for how OB-GYN residents learn how to safely conduct abortions as medical programs navigate new state abortion bans. (Dreher and Gonzalez, 7/19)
Los Angeles Times: Nurse-Midwives Struggle To Receive Abortion Training
When Ariela Schnyer was choosing where to get trained as a nurse-midwife, California stood out for an important reason: The state would allow clinicians like her to provide abortions. But three years later, after graduating from her nurse-midwifery program at UC San Francisco, Schnyer is not yet prepared to provide abortions that require hands-on care. After the news broke that Roe vs. Wade had been overturned — a shift that is expected to send more abortion patients to California — Schnyer was trying to find out whether she could get trained in Mexico City. (Reyes, 7/18)
AP: OB-GYN Tests Go Virtual; Board Cites COVID, Abortion Ruling
The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology exams are voluntary, but certification lends respect to doctors’ credentials, indicating they graduated from an accredited medical school and passed written and oral competency exams. Some employers also require the tests. The Dallas-based board had held virtual exams during the pandemic but planned to have the upcoming fall oral exams in-person. On Thursday, the board announced a reversal, saying the exams would be virtual. (Tanner, 7/18)
The tech industry's role in abortion —
Politico: ‘A Uniquely Dangerous Tool’: How Google's Data Can Help States Track Abortions
Figures from Google, one of the most prolific collectors of location data, show that the company received 5,764 “geofence” warrants between 2018 and 2020 from police in the 10 states that have banned abortion as of July 5. These warrants demand GPS data showing which mobile devices were present in a specified area during a particular time period, and can help investigate individuals who were present at crime scenes or other locations of interest. (Ng, 7/18)
The Markup: Facebook Allows Ads For Possibly Dangerous 'Abortion Reversal' Procedure
The Markup has found that Facebook is serving up ads and posts for the “abortion pill reversal” procedure, a medically unapproved and potentially dangerous process that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says is “not based on science.” (Kirchner, Varner and Waller, 7/19)
