Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Republicans Weigh Different Abortion Approach In Wake Of Midterms
Newsweek: Trump Warns Of 'Doom' For Republicans Over Extreme Abortion Views
Former President Donald Trump advised Republicans that if they want to win elections, they must support three exceptions to abortion bans. According to Trump, Republicans should support abortion in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother. If they don't, he said, they were likely to lose their elections. (Skinner, 12/29)
Newsweek: Anti-Abortion Group Pressures Trump To Embrace Firm Stance
The blaming of the "abortion issue" by former President Donald Trump as the reason Republicans underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections is receiving pushback from at least one conservative anti-abortion group. (Mordowanec, 1/2)
The Hill: Republicans Rethink Abortion Strategy After Bruising Midterms
Republicans are recalibrating their messaging on abortion after Democrats successfully used the issue to galvanize their base and win over swing voters in 2022. (Manchester, 12/29)
In legal developments related to abortion matters —
AP: Court: Abortion Doctors Can’t Be Charged Under Arizona Law
An Arizona court has ruled that abortion doctors cannot be prosecuted under a pre-statehood law that criminalizes nearly all abortions yet was barred from being enforced for decades. (Billeaud, 12/31)
The Hill: Biden Administration Seeks To Rescind Trump-Era ‘Conscience’ Protections For Health Workers
The Biden administration is proposing to largely undo a Trump-era rule that boosted the rights of medical workers to refuse to perform abortions or other services that conflicted with their religious or moral beliefs. (Weixel, 12/29)
Meanwhile, in California —
Bay Area News Group: Demand Rises At California Abortion Clinics Since Roe V. Wade Fell
One woman had never flown on a plane before and was petrified to make the journey from Texas to California. Another drove all night from El Paso to make her appointment because she couldn’t miss work. A third was so worried about getting in trouble that she asked the staff at Planned Parenthood if they could wipe her phone and destroy all evidence of her abortion. (Kendall, 12/2)
