Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Anti-Abortion Activists Are Reaping The Rewards For Supporting Trump; Let Physicians Have A Voice In Abortion Debate Too
The New York Times: Anti-Abortion And Pro-Trump Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin
Two weeks ago, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed a “fetal heartbeat” bill that bans abortions after six weeks. It is effectively a total ban, since most people who are pregnant won’t know it until sometime between the fourth and seventh weeks. Last week, Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama signed the strictest abortion bill in the country, which bans the procedure except in circumstances where the pregnant person’s life is at risk. Missouri’s legislature followed suit, with an eight-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest that’s now awaiting the governor’s signature. (Jamelle Bouie, 5/20)
The Washington Post: Trump Paved The Way For Alabama’s Abortion Law
Trump put Alabama on course to do what it has done. He rewarded pro-life advocates for their support with two new justices, vetted by the conservative Federalist Society, and likely an antiabortion majority on the high court. Now, pro-lifers are predictably testing to see how far they can go in reversing Roe v Wade. Why wouldn’t they? Trump’s chance to influence this has passed. (Dana Milbank, 5/20)
USA Today: Missouri, Alabama Anti-Abortion Laws: Doctors Deserve Choices Too
There came a time in medical school when I first witnessed an abortion, a dilation and curettage, where the cervix was dilated and the tiny fetus sucked out by vacuum. The first time I saw the body parts was the first time I knew I would never perform one of these procedures. I was defining my role as a doctor in terms of relieving suffering and extending life, not ending it. Dr. Ben Carson, consummate pediatric neurosurgeon and current secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, has come out vehemently against abortion. In an interview in 2015 when he was running for president, he told me, "I've spent many, many a day and many a night operating on premature babies and then seeing them as adults, as productive adults. There is no way that anybody's going to convince me that that's a meaningless mass of cells." (Dr. Marc Siegel, 5/19)
The New York Times: Medical School Doesn’t Teach The ‘Woman’s Life Is In Danger’ Curriculum
Over the past few weeks, Georgia, Alabama and several other states have passed restrictive, medically illiterate abortion laws that allow the procedure if the mother’s life is at risk.I am an obstetrician and gynecologist trained to do abortions. I do not know how to translate these laws into clinical practice because often the language is preposterously vague and they include terms with no medical meaning. In Alabama, for example, a doctor can “deliver the unborn child prematurely to avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother.” (Jen Gunter, 5/20)
CNN: Male Politicians Who Oppose Abortion Rights Are Going To Face Some Uncomfortable Questions
Last week, Alabama passed the most restrictive abortion law in the country. In addition to banning nearly all abortions except in cases where the pregnancy poses a serious health risk to the mother, doctors who perform the procedure can be convicted of a felony and jailed for life. The law has yet to go into effect, and politicians have explicitly stated their desire for legal challenges to make it up to the Supreme Court as part of a long-standing effort to overturn Roe v. Wade. And given the bench's conservative slant after Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh's confirmations under President Donald Trump, that may be a real possibility. (Joe Lockhart, 5/20)
