Spread Of Zika Renews Pressure On Lawmakers Over Funding And Abortion
Florida Republicans and Democrats call on House Speaker Paul Ryan to act now on the impasse over funds to fight the virus, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggests the Obama administration tap other sources of money. Meanwhile, abortion politics are also being inflamed by Zika.
Politico:
Worried Florida Republicans Push Ryan For Zika Action
When Republicans left town this summer, they abandoned a billion-dollar Zika rescue package that had become mired in partisan infighting. But now some rank-and-file Florida Republicans — who represent scared constituents clamoring for Washington to do something — are pressuring their leaders to get a deal done, no matter what it takes. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen asked Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to convene an emergency session of Congress to pass a Zika bill immediately. Rep. Carlos Curbelo is worrying that Congress’ lack of action could cripple him in an already tough reelection battle. And a number of Florida Republicans, including Rep. Dennis Ross, want their party to fully fund President Barack Obama's larger $1.9 billion Zika request. (Bade, 8/19)
Morning Consult:
McConnell: HHS Should Use Funds for ACA Advertising for Zika
The top Senate Republican is urging the Obama administration to use any funding it is planning to use to increase enrollment in the Affordable Care Act exchanges to respond to the Zika virus. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Friday, seeking details on reports of an advertising campaign for the federal health insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act. Any funding the department has for such a campaign should instead go toward the Zika virus, McConnell said. (McIntire, 8/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Zika Virus Spread Renews Focus On Abortion Debate
The continued increase in the number of pregnant women possibly infected with Zika—which reached 529 in the states and the District of Columbia as of Aug. 11, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—is focusing renewed attention on the controversial issue of late-term abortions. It comes as many state legislatures are tightening restrictions on such procedures. Some of the most active efforts are in the South, one of the regions most vulnerable to the spread of Zika by mosquitoes. (Campo-Flores and Frosch, 8/21)
Modern Healthcare:
Zika Outbreak In U.S. Puts Focus On Abortion Access
The threat of a Zika epidemic of the virus in the U.S. is raising the ethical dilemma of presenting abortion as an option to infected mothers who may be likely to give birth to babies with significant developmental disabilities. Some policymakers and anti-abortion activists have already rallied against easing or increasing access to abortion, and experts say the arrival of Zika in the U.S. during an election year makes it nearly impossible to have a conversation about abortion as a medical decision. (Johnson, 8/20)
Politico Pro:
How Zika Could Change The Politics Of Late-Term Abortion
For years, most Americans have opposed abortions late in pregnancy. Zika could change that, potentially undermining support for a national ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Pregnant women with the Zika virus risk giving birth to babies with devastating brain defects, which can be detected only around 18 to 20 weeks and often much later than that. More than 1,200 pregnant women have been diagnosed with the virus in the U.S., so far, mostly in Puerto Rico. (Haberkorn, 8/19)
