Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Part Of Idaho's Abortion Ban Temporarily Blocked In Appeal
Reuters: Idaho Abortion Ban Again Partly Halted Amid Appeal
A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily limited Idaho's ability to enforce its near-total abortion ban in medical emergencies while it weighs in on a legal challenge to the ban by the Biden administration. A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month allowed the state to enforce its ban, reversing a lower court order that had partially blocked it. On Tuesday, however, the full 9th Circuit said it would rehear the case with 11 of its judges, automatically voiding the panel's order for now. (Pierson, 10/10)
Abortions decline in North Carolina —
The Guardian: Abortions In North Carolina Drop By 30% In Wake Of New Restrictions, Data Shows
Abortions in North Carolina fell by more than 30% after the state enacted new abortion restrictions on 1 July, including a 12-week abortion ban, new data released on Wednesday by the Guttmacher Institute shows. North Carolina abortion clinics performed more than 4,200 abortions in June, but just 2,920 abortions in July. Nearby states did not see a comparable surge in abortions, suggesting that patients denied abortions in North Carolina had to self-manage their own – or simply went without. (Sherman, 10/11)
North Carolina Health News: A Clearer Picture Is Emerging Of The Impact Of North Carolina’s New Abortion Restrictions
North Carolina’s drop in abortions was higher than what occurred nationally, which saw a 7 percent decline in July. ... While the drop is steep, it could have been far worse if all involved in providing abortion care had not adapted so nimbly, said Matt Zerden, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s associate medical director and an abortion provider. (Crumpler, 10/11) “In some ways, it’s really remarkable that it only went down 31 percent,” Zerden said.
Ohio begins early voting on abortion rights —
AP: Abortion Rights And Marijuana Questions Expected To Drive Ohioans To Polls As Early Voting Begins
Heavier-than-normal turnout is expected Wednesday as early voting begins in Ohio’s closely watched off-year election to decide the future of abortion access and marijuana legalization in the state. Of greatest interest nationally is Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment giving every person “the right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” The effort comes on the heels of a string of victories for abortion rights proponents around the country who have been winning in both Democratic and deeply Republican states since the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion was overturned. (Smyth, 10/11)
Politico: Anti-Abortion Groups Keep Losing Ballot Measure Votes. They Believe Ohio Will Buck The Trend.
Anti-abortion groups are banking on Ohio to end the movement’s run of state-level losses and create a blueprint for battles in 2024 and beyond. In four weeks, voters in the Buckeye State will decide whether to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution or be the first to reject an abortion-rights measure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (Ollstein, 10/11)
The 19th: Abortion Rights Are On A Winning Streak At The Ballot Box. Ohio Could Test That
On a cloudy recent Friday morning, thousands of protestors descended on the Ohio statehouse for the March for Life, many holding signs with sayings like, “Ohio is Pro-Life” and “Vote No on Issue 1.” That measure, Issue 1, would guarantee a constitutional right to an abortion and other reproductive health care. All eyes were on Ohio, said Jeanne Mancini, president of the national anti-abortion March for Life. They were at a “cultural crossroads, she said, and Ohioians would be judged on their vote on November 7. (Panetta, 10/10)
Abortion news from parts of the country —
The Texas Tribune: Abortion And Birth Control Access In Texas: What You Need To Know
More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Texas continues to be the largest state in the nation to ban nearly all abortions. But some questions and changes to abortion and birth control access have arisen since then. (Mendez, 10/11)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Abortion Law Made Miranda Michel Carry Twins Who Wouldn’t Survive
Miranda Michel’s eyes popped open on the operating table, panic gripping her body. Was she too late? Doctors had said her twins might only survive two or three minutes. She didn’t know if they’d already been born, how much time had passed, if she had missed it entirely, if they were already gone. (Klibanoff and Tauber, 10/11)
Stat: ‘Abortion Queen’ Wants Patients To Pay Something For The Procedure
Abortion clinic owner Diane Derzis said she wanted to ensure that abortion funds’ limited resources were used wisely. (Boodman, 10/11)
AP: Florida's Republican Attorney General Will Oppose Putting Abortion Rights Amendment On 2024 Ballot
Florida’s Republican attorney general will oppose putting a proposed amendment protecting the right to an abortion on next year’s ballot, she told the state Supreme Court when she advised justices Monday that a petition has reached enough signatures to trigger a language review. (10/10)
NPR: Billboards Supporting Women Seeking Abortions Are Popping Up Along I-55 Heading North
Six billboards with messages supporting abortion rights have been placed along Interstate 55, a highway traveled by many women from the South who seek abortion care in Illinois. (Blank, 10/11)
News21: Indigenous People Navigate Abortion Access Hurdles After Roe V. Wade
Indigenous people have been uniquely affected by the end of Roe. Abortion was never readily available to Native Americans, thanks to a federal law that has prohibited nearly all abortions at Indian Health Service clinics since 1976. That’s always meant traveling long distances for the procedure. But now states with some of the largest Indigenous populations also have some of the strictest restrictions on abortion: places like North and South Dakota and Oklahoma, home to the Cherokee Nation, the second-largest tribe in the U.S. with over 300,000 enrolled members. (Smith and Keyes, 10/11)
