Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Planned Parenthood To Resume Abortion Services In Wisconsin
USA Today: Planned Parenthood Of Wisconsin Abortions Resume, After Judge's Ruling
Wisconsin's largest provider of abortions announced Thursday it was resuming services after a judge signaled in July she did not believe the state's abortion law actually bans consensual procedures like those performed at Planned Parenthood. The move comes after abortions have been unavailable in Wisconsin for more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortions in the U.S. for 50 years before it was struck down in 2022. (Beck and Opoien, 9/14)
AP: Planned Parenthood Sues To Expand South Carolina Abortion Access Under Strict New Ban
Abortion providers urged South Carolina’s highest court on Thursday to lengthen the narrow window when a pregnancy can be legally terminated under the state’s strict new ban. The conservative state’s all-male Supreme Court last month upheld a so-called “fetal heartbeat” law commonly understood to restrict access after about six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most women know they’re pregnant. (Pollard, 9/14)
Idaho Capital Sun: Judge May Rule Soon On Whether Idaho’s ‘Abortion Trafficking’ Law Can Be Enforced
U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to grant a request to temporarily bar Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador from enforcing the state’s so-called “abortion trafficking” law as a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds in federal court. Grasham heard the case in district court in Boise on Thursday afternoon. (Moseley-Morris, 9/14)
NBC News: Nevada Abortion-Rights Groups Seek State Constitutional Amendment
Reproductive rights advocates are trying to put the question of abortion access on the 2024 ballot in the battleground state of Nevada. On Thursday, a coalition including Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed a petition with the secretary of state’s office to secure a ballot question about enshrining abortion protections in the state constitution. A copy of the proposed amendment was first shared with NBC News. (Korecki, 9/14)
The Guardian: DeSantis Contradicts Own Abortion Law To Claim Woman Will Not Be Criminalized
Ron DeSantis has contradicted the wording of the six-week abortion ban that he himself signed into law in April, insisting that women who terminate their pregnancies will not be criminalized under the prohibition. The Florida governor and Republican White House hopeful told CBS Evening News that women would not be liable for fines and imprisonment under the ban. Only doctors who perform abortions would be targeted. (Pilkington, 9/14)
The Washington Post: New Abortion Chatbot Can Help Find Healthcare, Even In States With Bans
For abortion seekers, deciding whom to trust is important. Now there’s an online chatbot that purports to help. Starting this week, an abortion bot called Charley from the team behind major abortion organizations Planned Parenthood, IneedanA and Plan C is rolling out across the United States — even in states with abortion bans — to help people find accessible health care. Users answer a series of questions such as the date of their last period, their Zip code and the type of procedure they’re looking for. Along the way, the bot points them toward vetted clinics, telehealth providers or support resources. (Hunter, 9/15)
In other reproductive health news —
Military.com: Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill To Expand Fertility Services To Service Members, Veterans
Senate and House Democrats are trying again to expand fertility treatments for active-duty personnel and veterans whose military-related disabilities render them unable to conceive without help. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, both Democrats from Washington state, along with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., plan to introduce bills in their chambers Thursday that would cover in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation of eggs and sperm, and other health treatments for military family and veteran beneficiaries. (Kime, 9/14)
Bloomberg: Artificial Wombs That Could Help Premature Babies Will Meet FDA Scrutiny
The first artificial womb capable of gestating a human baby will get one step closer to reality next week — a key scientific milestone that could offer hope for the thousands of extremely premature babies born in the US each year. The artificial placentas are fluid-filled pods intended to help struggling prematurely born infants develop much like they would in the prenatal environment. Next week, Food and Drug Administration officials will weigh in on the safety and efficacy of the devices, as well as ethical considerations for the first-in-human studies. Part of it will be held behind closed doors, to protect trade secrets. (Rutherford, 9/14)
