Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senator Says Company Tracked, Sold Data On Planned Parenthood Visits For Anti-Abortion Ads
Politico: A Company Tracked Visits To 600 Planned Parenthood Locations For Anti-Abortion Ads, Senator Says
A company allegedly tracked people’s visits to nearly 600 Planned Parenthood locations across 48 states and provided that data for one of the largest anti-abortion ad campaigns in the nation, according to an investigation by Sen. Ron Wyden, a scope that far exceeds what was previously known. The details in Wyden (D-Ore.)’s letter, sent Tuesday morning, reveal what’s believed to be the largest publicly known location-driven anti-abortion ad campaign. Abortion rights supporters have feared this type of data could also be used by certain state governments to prosecute women who get the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled there is no constitutional right to an abortion. (Ng, 2/13)
The Guardian: Tennessee Advances Bill To Ban People From Helping Minors Obtain Abortion
Tennessee state legislators moved on Tuesday to advance a bill that would ban people from taking minors for an abortion without parental permission – an act that the bill has dubbed “abortion trafficking”. If someone illegally “recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant unemancipated minor” for an abortion, they could face three to 15 years in prison under the proposed bill, which has now advanced out of a state house subcommittee after a hearing. (Sherman, 2/13)
AP: Mental Health Emerges As A Dividing Line In Abortion Rights Initiatives Planned For State Ballots
As advocates push this year for ballot measure initiatives aiming to protect abortion rights, key differences have emerged in the language of proposed measures. Among them is the inclusion of mental health exceptions. A Missouri proposal would allow lawmakers to restrict abortions after a fetus is considered viable, except if an abortion “is needed to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.” A similar measure has been proposed in Arizona. In 2022, Michigan voters passed an abortion rights amendment with a mental health exception for viability limits. (Fernando, 2/13)
In related news about transgender health —
The New Republic: How The Right Weaponized The Dobbs Ruling To Wage War On Trans People
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with their now infamous ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the adverse disruptions to both the legal landscape of abortion and the quality of life of both abortion seekers and pregnant patients across the country were nearly immediate. But, the dystopia of Dobbs holding isn’t limited to reproductive freedoms—it has also endangered other constitutional privacy matters that determine the right to purchase and use contraception, the right of same-sex intimacy and marriage, and the right to marry across racial lines. However, what’s become clear is that the far right intends to test the judicial system for future breaches by first targeting transgender people’s access to gender-affirming care. (McNeill, 2/14)
The Hill: More Than Half Of Black Transgender Youth Have Considered Suicide In The Past Year
More than half of Black transgender and nonbinary young people reported having seriously considered suicide in the past year, and more than 20 percent said they had attempted suicide, according to data released Tuesday by The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization. Black LGBTQ young people experience elevated rates of discrimination related to both their race and ethnicity and their LGBTQ identities, according to Tuesday’s report, which analyzed survey responses from over 28,000 LGBTQ teens and young adults in the U.S. (Migdon, 2/13)
