Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Seeing Failures Of 'Fetal Heartbeat' Bills In Other States, Tennessee GOP Lawmakers Put Their Bill On Hold
The Associated Press: Fetal Heartbeat Bill Stalls In Tennessee Senate Committee
Legislation banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected stalled in Tennessee on Tuesday amid concerns that passing the measure would result in the state losing costly court battles. Instead, the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to review the issue further over the summer and take it up next year after members spent nearly two hours rehashing past key abortion court battles, discussing pregnancy viability with medical officials and criticizing the history of Planned Parenthood. (Kruesi, 4/9)
Columbus Dispatch: 'Heartbeat Bill' Passes House Committee, Heads To House Floor Despite Protests
The House Health Committee’s latest version of Senate Bill 23 passed 11-7 along party lines Tuesday. While the current version does not touch the core of the bill — to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected — it does impose additional fines to physicians who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detectable. (Prosser, 4/9)
WBUR: Mass. Study: Need For Judge's Consent Holds Up Minors' Abortions 6 Days On Average
A new study of abortions sought by more than 2,000 Massachusetts minors finds that needing approval from a judge causes a significant delay: an average of six extra days compared to teens who could get the required consent from their parents. For one in three minors in the study who went before a judge, that delay meant they missed the window for being able to abort using pills rather than a procedure, says Dr. Elizabeth Janiak of Harvard Medical School, lead author on the study just out in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. (Goldberg, 4/9)
