Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Shield Laws Likely To Go To High Court As NY Steps Into Texas Abortion Case
The New York Times: States Heading Toward Constitutional Showdown Over Abortion Shield Laws
On Monday, the attorney general of New York, Letitia James, announced that she was stepping into a case filed in New York by the attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton. The case stems from a lawsuit Mr. Paxton filed in December against a New York doctor, whom he accused of prescribing abortion pills to a patient in Texas. In court documents, Mr. Paxton argues that New York’s abortion shield law amounts to a “policy of hostility to the public acts/statutes of a sister state” and that it violates the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause, which says that states should generally respect other states’ laws. (Belluck, 9/8)
Louisiana Illuminator: Louisiana Has Not Monitored Public Funds Given To Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers
Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration has failed to regulate or provide oversight of public money given to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers over the past year, as required by state law. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services did not monitor how state dollars were spent at pregnancy centers, create regulations for how they can use that money or track whether the centers met the goals of their state contracts, according to a report the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office released Monday. Those benchmarks were expected to be met under a 2024 state law. (O'Donoghue, 9/9)
Houston Public Media: Houston-Area Midwife Facing 15 Count Indictment Over Abortion Accusations
A Houston-area midwife has been indicted on 15 felony charges stemming from allegations that she performed illegal abortions and operated local health clinics without licenses. Maria Margarita Rojas, in March, became the first person arrested under the state’s near-total abortion ban. Days later, a Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing Maternal and Child Healthcare and Research Center, Clinicas Latinoamericanas, and Houston Birth House from providing any medical services or abortions. (Grunau, 9/8)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Wyoming Public Radio: West Nile Virus On The Rise In Wyoming
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) says West Nile Virus cases are on the rise. As of September 4, 11 have been reported statewide. There’s been one death and six people were severely sick. (Kudelska, 9/8)
CIDRAP: South Carolina, Utah Report Measles In Unvaccinated Residents
Both South Carolina and Utah confirmed new measles cases in unvaccinated residents. South Carolina officials said this is the state’s third measles case this year, and the patient, who lives in the Upstate region, was unvaccinated and had no prior immunity from measles exposure. (Soucheray, 9/8)
AP: Invasive, Disease-Carrying Tick Found In Maine
Researchers have confirmed the presence of an invasive species of tick in Maine for the first time, marking the farthest northeast in the United States the pest has been discovered. The University of Maine and state conservation officials said Monday they confirmed the presence of the Asian longhorned tick in the state in July. The tick is native to east Asia, where it is capable of spreading tickborne infections such as spotted fever. (Whittle, 9/8)
CBS News: Chagas Disease, Or Deadly "Kissing Bug" Disease, Has Spread In The U.S. Here's What To Know
Chagas disease, a potentially deadly condition caused by an infected triatomine insect or "kissing bug," may be becoming endemic in the United States, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. In the report, which was originally published last month for the September issue of the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, the authors said the disease is already endemic to 21 countries in the Americas, and growing evidence of the parasite is challenging the non-endemic label in the U.S. (Moniuszko, 9/8)
KFF Health News: In The Fallout From Trump’s Health Funding Cuts, States Face Tough Budget Decisions
Patients begin lining up before dawn at Operation Border Health, an annual five-day health clinic in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. Many residents in this predominantly Latino and Hispanic region spanning the Mexican border lack insurance, making the health fair a major source of free medical care in South Texas for more than 25 years. Until this year. The Trump administration’s plan to strip more than $550 million in federal public health and pandemic funds from Texas helped prompt cancellation of the event just before its scheduled July 21 start. (Armour and Mai-Duc and Whitehead and Zionts, 9/9)
