Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Patients Sent Home As Georgia's Abortion Law Does An About-Face
AP: Quick Georgia Abortion Restrictions Send Some Patients Home
Georgia’s abortion law changed so abruptly Wednesday afternoon that some patients who were in an office waiting for abortions were told that what had been legal that morning was no longer legal in the state and sent home. (Amy, 7/22)
On the changing status of other bans across the country —
AP: Louisiana Abortion Ban Again Blocked By Judge
The preliminary injunction issued by state district judge Donald Johnson in Baton Rouge is the latest development amid a flurry of court challenges to state “trigger” laws that were crafted in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights, which it did June 24. (Cline, 7/21)
AP: Appeals Court Won't Fast Track Florida Abortion Lawsuit
The 1st District Court of Appeal decided Thursday that it will consider the case rather than forwarding it immediately to the state’s highest court. The court also rejected a bid from abortion providers to temporarily block the law, meaning that for now the 15-week ban remains in effect in Florida. (Izaguirre and Anderson, 7/21)
AP: Kansas Vote Could Allow Ban, But Abortion Foes Mum On Plans
“They intend to ban abortion in all cases,” said Anne Melia, 59, a former Republican who is now a Democrat and an environmental chemist who gave up a consulting job last year to focus on political activism. “Our law here could match something like what happened in Missouri with their trigger law that’s banned all abortion.” (Hanna, 7/21)
AP: N. Carolina AG Won't Seek To Renew 20-Week Abortion Ban
North Carolina’s Democratic attorney general declined Thursday to meet Republican legislative leaders’ demand that he ask a federal court to lift an injunction on a state law banning nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. (Schoenbaum, 7/21)
In news on moves to protect abortion access in Missouri —
St. Louis Public Radio: Jones Signs Bill Directing ARPA Funds To Abortion Access
Calling it decisive action that empowers people to make their own health care decisions, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed legislation Thursday directing $1 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help people cover the logistical cost of accessing abortion. (Lippmann, 7/21)
Also —
CBS News: Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers See Chance To Grow In Wake Of Supreme Court's Ruling
The Supreme Court's decision last month nullifying the constitutional right to an abortion has opened a path for organizations that aim to dissuade women from having abortions to expand their operations, especially in states that have banned the procedure or restricted access, prompting their few abortion clinics to shutter. (Quinn, 7/21)
