Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Planned Parenthood's First Mobile Abortion Clinic To Roll Out In Illinois
NPR: Planned Parenthood Launches Its 1st Mobile Abortion Clinic
With a growing number of patients in states that now prohibit abortion traveling for the procedure, Planned Parenthood says it will soon open its first mobile abortion clinic in the country, in southern Illinois. "Our goal is to reduce the hundreds of miles that people are having to travel now in order to access care...and meet them where they are," said Yamelsie Rodriguez, President of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said in an interview with NPR. (McCammon, 10/3)
From Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, and Iowa —
AP: Judge Who Voided Minnesota Abortion Limits Blocks Appeal Bid
A Minnesota judge who struck down key restrictions on abortion in the state has rejected a bid by a county prosecutor who hopes to appeal the ruling. Ramsey County District Judge Thomas Gilligan ruled Tuesday night that Traverse County Attorney Matthew Franzese is not entitled to intervene in the case. Franzese had hoped to pursue an appeal after Attorney General Keith Ellison declined to challenge Gilligan’s previous ruling that Minnesota’s restrictions were unconstitutional. (Karnowski, 10/3)
AP: Indiana ACLU: No Rush To Halt Judge's Pause On Abortion Ban
Attorneys for Indiana abortion rights supporters argued Monday there is no rush to suspend a judge’s decision temporarily letting abortions continue in the state. It’s the latest legal step in the fight over the state’s recent abortion ban. ... In court documents Monday, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana called the state’s motion “hastily filed” and argued the case does not need to go to the Supreme Court. That’s because lawyers for the state “have not established that an emergency exists that justifies departure from normal procedure and deliberation by the Court of Appeals,” the ACLU wrote. (Rodgers, 10/3)
Columbus Dispatch: 538 Children In Ohio Had Abortions In 2021 As Total Numbers Increase
The nation was shocked when a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim was forced to obtain an abortion in Indiana after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. ... How common are these abortions? New data from the Ohio Department of Health offer some insight: In 2021, 538 children ages 17 and younger legally obtained abortions in Ohio, including 57 who were younger than 15 years old. (Balmert, 10/3)
Des Moines Register: No Abortion Investigations In Des Moines Under City Council Proposal
Police and city officials would be limited in their ability to investigate a person for accessing or providing abortions in Des Moines under a proposed resolution drafted by City Council member Josh Mandelbaum. (Barreda, 10/3)
From Arizona —
AP: Arizona Clinic Has Workaround For Abortion Pill Ban
A Phoenix abortion clinic has come up with a way for patients who can end their pregnancy using a pill to get the medication quickly without running afoul of a resurrected Arizona law that bans most abortions. Under the arrangement that began Monday, patients will have an ultrasound in Arizona, get a prescription through a telehealth appointment with a California doctor and then have it mailed to a post office in a California border town for pickup, all for free. (Christie, 10/4)
Kansas City Star: Teen Denied ‘Lifesaving’ Meds Due To AZ Abortion Ban: Doctor
A 14-year-old girl in Arizona was denied the low dose of the “lifesaving” medication she takes to treat the debilitating symptoms of her arthritis, according to her doctor. (Baitinger, 10/3)
In other abortion news —
ABC News: White House Set To Highlight Republican-Led Abortion Restrictions In 100 Days Since Roe Was Overturned
A new Biden administration report on abortion access in the U.S. describes how widely the procedure has been curtailed in the roughly 100 days after Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to excerpts from the memo that were obtained by ABC News. (Haslett, 10/3)
Los Angeles Times: Caruso Has Yet To Fulfill $1-Million Abortion Rights Pledge
Initial paperwork forming the “Caruso Right to Choose Constitutional Amendment Committee” was filed May 20, according to state records. The committee has filed three campaign statements since then, with the most recent paperwork covering the period between July and Sept. 24. (Wick, 10/3)
Stateline: Privacy, Stigma May Keep Workers From Using Abortion Travel Benefits
“A lot of companies have talked big about it, but far fewer have actually implemented it,” said Bethany Corbin, senior counsel at health care specialists Nixon Gwilt Law. When companies do begin to offer abortion benefits, she said, she expects worker uptake to be minimal. (Vestal, 10/3)
