Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Planned Parenthood Sues Indiana, Saying Fetal-Defect Abortion Bill Is Unconstitutional
Reuters: Planned Parenthood Sues Indiana For Abortion Law
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the state of Indiana, saying a new state law restricting abortion was unconstitutional. The law, which was signed last month by Indiana Governor Mike Pence and goes into effect on July 1, prohibits abortion in the early stages of a pregnancy based on genetic abnormalities and mandates a fetus be buried or cremated, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court. (Madden, 4/7)
The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood, ACLU Sue Indiana Over New Abortion Law
"The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly stressed that a woman, not the state, is to determine whether or not to obtain an abortion," ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk said at a news conference midday Thursday. "The State of Indiana's attempt to invade a woman's privacy and to control her decision in this regard is unprecedented and unconstitutional." Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky president and CEO Betty Cockrum said the law, which was passed by the GOP-led Legislature and signed by Gov. Mike Pence last month, shows the state doesn't respect women. (Chokey, 4/7)
Reuters: Michigan Sues To Shut Detroit Abortion Clinic
Michigan's attorney general filed a civil suit on Thursday to shut down a Detroit abortion clinic the state claims is not owned by a medical professional. Summit Women's Center's sole officer, director and owner, David Lipton, is not a licensed physician, the attorney general said in a statement. Additionally, the company's annual report to the state in 2015 falsely certified that Lipton was licensed to provide professional medical services. (Weinraub, 4/7)
Detroit Free Press: Michigan AG Schuette Sues To Shut Detroit Abortion Clinic
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced that his office filed a lawsuit Thursday in an effort to close an “illegally operating Detroit abortion clinic.” But the lawsuit has nothing to do with medical malpractice or how the clinic staff performed their duties. Instead, the state’s lawyers alleged that Summit Women’s Center, at 15801 W. McNichols, had an out-of-state owner who was not a “licensed professional” such as a medical doctor, as required by the Michigan health code. (Laitner, 4/7)
The Associated Press: State Medical Board To Use 'Unborn Child' In Abortion Rules
Under orders from lawmakers, a divided Arkansas State Medical Board voted Thursday to replace the term "fetus" with "unborn child" and "unborn human individual" in proposed regulations implementing abortion-related laws passed by the state Legislature. The board had presented the wording governing abortion procedures for doctors in January, changing the Legislature's language to "fetus" because its members said that was an accepted medical term, while "unborn child" was not. A subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council sent the proposed rules back to the board with directions to restore the original language. The board did so Thursday on a 9-4 split vote. (Lauer, 4/7)
The Washington Post: Missouri Republicans Move To Hold Planned Parenthood Official In Contempt As Issue Flares Again
Planned Parenthood officials have been called to speak before Congress, had officials show up at their office demanding documents and have been the center of abortion opponents ire since this summer, when an undercover group accused them of illegally selling fetal tissue for profit. But this week marks the first time a Planned Parenthood official could face jail time in that debate. (Phillips, 4/7)
NPR: Abortion Providers In Utah Adapt To New Anesthesia Requirement
In Utah, a doctor performing an abortion will soon have to administer anesthesia after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The new law is the first of its kind in the nation, and it's based on the controversial notion that a fetus at that stage in development may feel pain during the procedure. Abortion providers are adapting to this change in the law. (Smardon, 4/7)
