Supreme Court Allows Idaho Abortion Ban In Emergencies To Stand
The Supreme Court will hear the case over Idaho's abortion law that bans the procedure even for certain medical emergency situations. In the meantime, the court will allow the measure to be enforced.
CBS News:
Supreme Court Lets Idaho Enforce Abortion Ban For Now And Agrees To Hear Case
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to let Idaho enforce its near-total ban on abortion in certain emergency medical situations while legal proceedings continue and said it will take up the dispute involving whether the Biden administration can require under federal law hospitals in states that ban abortion to perform the procedure on pregnant patients whose lives are at risk. (Quinn, 1/5)
USA Today:
US Abortion Access Shrinking In 2024 Amid Multiple Court Cases
It was 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but 2024 is starting amid a wave of news about court cases and laws restricting abortion access in the United States — and there's even more decisions on the horizon. (Thornton and Santucci, 1/6)
Abortion news from Florida —
Reuters:
Florida Abortion Rights Measure Gets Enough Signatures To Go Before Voters
A state constitutional amendment that would protect abortion access in Florida has received enough signatures of support to appear on ballots in the November election, but a challenge by the state's attorney general could still block it. The measure would ban laws that "prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider." Abortions are currently illegal after 15 weeks in Florida. (1/8)
News Service of Florida:
Appeals Court Panel Rejects Minor's Request For Abortion Without Parental Consent
For the second time in less than three weeks, an appeals court rejected a minor’s attempt to have an abortion without notifying and getting consent from a parent or guardian. (Saunders, 1/5)
Abortion news from Tennessee and Missouri —
WZTV:
Tennessee Rep Introduces New Abortion Bill, Argues State Cannot Interfere With Procedures
A new abortion bill aims to amend Tennessee's current law which bans the procedure in early stages of pregnancy. House Bill 1626 enacts the "Fundamental Right to Reproductive Health Care Act," meaning the state cannot interfere with abortion services because it falls under an individual's "fundamental right." ... Tennessee has one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States. There is no exception for rape or incest in current legislation. (Keller, 1/5)
Missouri Independent:
With Most Abortions Illegal In Missouri, Few Expect New Bills Will Get Traction This Year
Nearly every abortion is illegal in Missouri. But that hasn’t slowed the pace of anti-abortion legislation in the Missouri statehouse. As lawmakers return to the Capitol for the 2024 legislation session, Republican lawmakers have already filed numerous bills seeking further restrictions on abortion and abortion providers. Yet even the staunchest anti-abortion activists concede it’s unlikely they’ll get much traction this year. (Spoerre, 1/5)
Also —
Politico:
Biden’s Top Priority For A Second Term: Restoring Abortion Rights
President Joe Biden’s day one priority if he earns a second term? “First of all: Roe,” deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said Sunday during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The president has been adamant that we need to restore Roe. It is unfathomable that women today wake up in a country with less rights than their ancestors had years ago,” Fulks said. Biden has been poised to run on what has been described as the strongest abortion rights platform of any general election candidate as he and his allies look to notch a victory in the first presidential election since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. (Garrity, 1/7)
The Hill:
Supreme Court’s Looming Mifepristone Decision Leaves Abortion Rights In Spotlight
The Supreme Court’s expected decision this summer on whether to restrict access to medication abortion promises to keep the issue front and center of the 2024 election. Justices will hear a case weighing federal approval of the common abortion pill mifepristone, with a likely ruling in June — five months before voters decide who will go to the White House and Congress, and almost exactly two years after the high court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. (Vakil, 1/6)
KFF Health News:
Journalists Track Medical Device Malfunctions, Opioid Settlement Payments, And Abortion Bans
KFF Health News correspondent Daniel Chang discussed malfunctions of the LVAD Heart Mate 3, an FDA-approved mechanical heart pump, on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Ideas Network on Jan. 3. ... KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani joined a roundtable panel to discuss the drug crisis and opioid settlement funds on NPR on Dec. 28. Pattani also discussed opioid settlement funds on CBS News’ “Eye on Health” on Dec. 15. ... KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed how abortion bans fared in courts in Texas and New Orleans on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Jan. 3. (1/6)
