Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Idaho Will Vote On Abortion Rights In November
AP: Idaho Is The 4th State With Abortion Rights On The 2026 Ballot
Idaho voters will decide whether to roll back the state’s abortion ban, the secretary of state told the group behind the initiative in a letter Monday, joining three other states where abortion will be directly on the ballot on Nov. 3. Voters in Virginia and Nevada — both states where abortion is already legal through at least 24 weeks of pregnancy — are considering state constitutional amendments to create a right to abortion. And in Missouri, which in 2024 became the first state to use a constitutional amendment to undo an abortion ban, voters are being asked to override that to bring back an abortion ban, with limited exceptions. (Mulvihill, 7/13)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Verite News: Louisiana Takes Steps To Bring Its HIV Exposure Law In Line With Modern Science
Louisiana lawmakers took steps to modernize a state law that criminalizes intentionally exposing others to HIV, increasing protections for people living with the virus. Louisiana has one of the most punitive HIV exposure laws in the country. Before the state’s law was updated, public health experts and advocates for people living with HIV said the law was too broad, prohibiting exposure “through any means or contact.” The provision allowed people to be threatened and prosecuted for actions that couldn’t transmit the virus. (Parker, 7/13)
KFF Health News: Lawmakers Look To Make Abortion Shield Laws Less Dependent On Who’s Governor
When Gov. Gavin Newsom, using his executive power, refused to extradite a physician accused of prescribing and mailing abortion pills to a Louisiana woman, he said California would “not ever” allow “extremist politicians” to punish its doctors. Newsom, who is considering a run for president, has long championed reproductive rights, but state lawmakers in the Democratically controlled California legislature know future governors might not have the same political beliefs. (Fortiér, 7/14)
Axios: Central States Buck U.S. Fertility Decline
Despite a decades-long decline in U.S. fertility rates, a corridor of central Plains states — including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas — continues to post higher rates than the rest of the country on average. (Jennings, 7/14)
Jackson Hole Community Radio: Measles Outbreak Prompts ‘State Of Emergency’ In Teton County, Wyoming
A third adult in Teton County has been diagnosed with measles, marking the first state’s first outbreak of 2026 and prompting the county to declare a “state of emergency.” (Boyd-Fliegel, 7/13)
On the immigration crisis —
The Washington Post: ICE Officer Shoots And Kills Man In Maine, Prompting State Investigation
A federal immigration officer fatally shot a man Monday in Maine, leading the state’s attorney general to launch an investigation and fueling backlash to President Donald Trump’s crackdown. The office of Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said initial reports indicated a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot the man when he attempted to flee in his vehicle during an enforcement operation in the small coastal city of Biddeford. ... Authorities did not identify the man who was killed, but the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said he was a 26-year-old Colombian national. Ruben Torres, the group’s director of advocacy and policy, said the man had a Social Security number and was authorized to work in the United States. (Hesson, Reynolds, Slater, Schaffer and Oakford, 7/13)
