Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: Abortion Limitations Linked To Rise In Intimate Partner Homicides
Salon.Com: Abortion Restrictions Increase Risk Of Intimate Partner Homicide, Study Finds
A new study published by scientists at Tulane University in Louisiana found that pregnant women in anti-abortion states face an increased likelihood of experiencing intimate partner homicide. Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, which provided Americans with the constitutional right to access abortion care, more states have enacted TRAP laws, which stands for targeted regulation of abortion providers. According to Guttmacher Institute, 23 states in the U.S. have laws or policies that regulate abortion providers. In the study, published in the peer-reviewed health care journal Health Affairs, researchers looked at data from 2014 to 2020 to observe the connection between anti-abortion laws and intimate partner violence before Dobbs. (Karlis, 5/8)
In other news on abortion and birth control —
Missouri Independent: Missouri Senate Holds Fate Of Women’s Health Care Bill
A wide-ranging women’s health care bill that stalled in the House for months over concerns about expanding coverage for birth control is a step away from the governor’s desk — though dysfunction in the Senate could derail its chances of becoming law. (Spoerre, 5/8)
ABC 6: 24-Hour Waiting Period For Abortion Should Remain In Ohio Law, Governor Says
The 24-hour waiting period for abortions in Ohio should stand regardless of November's vote adding abortion rights to the Ohio Constitution, says Gov. Mike DeWine. "Those guardrails are still in effect. They worked well before. So I don't see any reason to change them," the governor told 6 On Your Side after an hour-long question-and-answer session Wednesday with the Columbus Metropolitan Club. (5/7)
The 19th: Democratic State Attorneys General Are Teaming Up To Protect Abortion Access
A group of Democratic attorneys general are working to strengthen state-level protections for abortion, contraception and gender-affirming care. These protections could include expanding the use of so-called “shield laws,” which assert that states where abortion or gender-affirming care are legal won’t cooperate with out-of-state efforts to prosecute anyone who helped provide treatment. (Luthra, 5/8)
The Hill: Doug Emhoff Urges Men To Join Abortion Rights Fight: ‘Women Are Dying’
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff urged more men to advocate for abortion rights on Tuesday, saying the key 2024 election issue is about more than just women, but families and all Americans. “This is an issue of fairness to women. Women are dying,” Emhoff told NBC’s Yamiche Alcindor. “It’s affecting [men’s] ability to plan their lives. And it’s also an issue of what’s next, what other freedoms are at risk. And these freedoms are affecting all Americans, not just women.” (Robertson, 5/8)
KFF Health News: Medical Residents Are Increasingly Avoiding States With Abortion Restrictions
Isabella Rosario Blum was wrapping up medical school and considering residency programs to become a family practice physician when she got some frank advice: If she wanted to be trained to provide abortions, she shouldn’t stay in Arizona. Blum turned to programs mostly in states where abortion access — and, by extension, abortion training — is likely to remain protected, like California, Colorado, and New Mexico. Arizona has enacted a law banning most abortions after 15 weeks. “I would really like to have all the training possible,” she said, “so of course that would have still been a limitation.” (Rovner and Pradhan, 5/9)
On fertility treatments —
American Homefront Project: A New VA Policy Covers Fertility Treatments For More Vets, But Some Are Still Excluded
The VA pays for IVF treatment for unmarried and LGBTQ veterans. But they must prove their fertility problems are service-related. (D'lorio, 5/8)
