Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Veterans Group Sues Trump Admin Over VA Abortion Ban
The Hill: Trump Administration Sued By Veterans Group Over VA Abortion Ban
A veterans advocacy group is suing the Trump administration over its ban on abortion care and counseling at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Minority Veterans of America said it brought the lawsuit on behalf of all its members harmed by the ban, including one pregnant member who has chronic medical conditions and a long history of pregnancy complications and needs access to abortion care and counseling to protect her health. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. (Weixel, 5/15)
Politico: Acting FDA Leader Tries To Explain Past Planned Parenthood Work To Abortion Opponents
The new acting head of the Food and Drug Administration is scrambling to reassure abortion opponents that he is on their side after court records surfaced listing him as an outside counsel for a Planned Parenthood Florida chapter for at least three years beginning in 2014. Within hours of his appointment on Tuesday to temporarily lead the agency after the resignation of former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Kyle Diamantas was on the phone telling several anti-abortion leaders that he is morally opposed to the procedure. (Ollstein and Lim, 5/15)
CBS News: Religious Anti-Abortion Center Finds Opportunity In Town Without OB-GYNs
An anti-abortion pregnancy center on the outskirts of this Idaho Panhandle town greets visitors with an abridged Bible verse painted on the wall of its waiting area: "Come to me & I will give you rest." 7B Care Clinic has been operating in Sandpoint since 2001 and was previously called Life Choices Pregnancy Center and Sandpoint Crisis Pregnancy Center. (Orozco Rodriguez, 5/18)
AP: Parents Push For NICU Leave After Wins In Colorado And Illinois
As his daughter Olivia was born, Marlon White felt his wife’s hand slacken as she fainted. The baby, born at 29 weeks and weighing about 2 pounds, wasn’t making a sound as she was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit. Terrified, he waited in the hall while the doctors stabilized his newborn and wife. The next day, White, a welder, was back at work. Two days later, his wife, Farra Lanzer-White, was also back on the job, setting up a work station at the Denver hospital. For two months, first at one hospital then another, she kept up with emails and meetings as alarm bells went off each time Olivia stopped breathing, as she herself prepared for open-heart surgery for a condition discovered during her difficult pregnancy. (Olson, 5/18)
