Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Planned Parenthood Won't See Funds Under Trump's Watch, Vance Vows
The Washington Post: Vance Says Trump Administration Would End Funding To Planned Parenthood
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), former president Donald Trump’s running mate, said that Trump, if elected, would seek to end federal money for Planned Parenthood. “We don’t think that taxpayers should fund late-term abortions,” Vance told RealClearPolitics on Saturday night. “That has been a consistent view of the Trump campaign the first time around, it will remain a consistent view.” Vance’s comments on Saturday against one of the biggest reproductive health care providers in the nation stand in stark contrast to recent positioning by himself, Trump and other Republicans on the issue of reproductive rights. (Alfaro and Cha, 10/6)
The Independent: DeSantis Threatens Local TV Stations For Airing Abortion Rights Campaign Ads
Ron DeSantis’s administration has appeared to threaten a local TV station with legal action for airing an abortion rights campaign ad. The ad in question is the same one that aired in Florida during the vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance. It features a woman named Caroline who needed to have an abortion and cancer treatments after a brain tumor diagnosis in 2022. Florida is one of several states with reproductive rights on the ballot this November. If passed, Amendment 4 would enshrine the right to abortion care in the state’s constitution, effectively overturning the six-week ban. The Health Department said that if the ad is not removed within 24 hours, the department will initiate legal proceedings to obtain an injunction. (Lubin, 10/6)
KFF Health News: Catholic Hospital Offered Bucket, Towels To Woman It Denied An Abortion, California AG Said
When Anna Nusslock showed up at her local hospital 15 weeks pregnant and in severe pain earlier this year, she said, a doctor delivered devastating news: The twins she and her husband had so desperately wanted were not viable. Further, her own health was in danger, and she needed an emergency abortion to prevent hemorrhaging and infection. (Castle Work, 10/7)
NPR: Three States Show How Abortion, Schools And Taxes Are At Stake In Legislature Races
Elections for state legislatures don’t get the attention that races for president or Congress do but they often have a big impact on our lives. Congress is divided and gridlocked. In contrast, nearly all state legislatures have both chambers run by one party or another. That makes it easy to pass laws. And they’ve been passing a lot. ... This year, several legislatures could see power shift if just a few seats flip in the election — maybe just a matter of hundreds of votes in some districts. (Schutsky, Ferguson and Irwin, 10/5)
The Texas Tribune: Facing A Tight Race, Ted Cruz Goes Quiet On Abortion
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has been a loud anti-abortion crusader throughout his political career. But as reproductive rights loom over the election season as a key issue for voters, Cruz is uncharacteristically quiet. The Texas Republican, running for a third term in the Senate, is locked in a tight race against U.S. Sen. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, who has made restoring access to abortion and blaming Cruz for the toppling of Roe v. Wade central to his campaign. (Guo, 10/7)
The New York Times: Melinda French Gates’s New Life: Abortion Politics And Kamala Harris
After her divorce from Bill Gates, Ms. French Gates came into her own billions of dollars, with which she could do whatever she chose. She used to insist on appearing nonpartisan, but no more. (Schleifer, 10/6)
