Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Telemedicine Abortions Allowed In Kansas As Judge Blocks Ban
KMUW / KCUR: Judge Blocks Kansas Law That Banned Prescribing Abortion Pills Over Telemedicine
Kansas women could soon be able to seek abortion pills through telemedicine appointments after a judge blocked a state law banning the practice. Abortion providers and abortion rights advocates say the decision will help expand access to abortion for people across the state, particularly in areas like western Kansas that might be several hours from the nearest clinic. The state’s five clinics are clustered around Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas. (Conlon, 11/28)
In abortion news from Colorado, Utah, and Idaho —
Colorado Public Radio: Kaiser Permanente To Offer Abortion Services In Response To Long Planned Parenthood Wait Times
Kaiser Permanente in Colorado is now offering expanded abortion services to its patients in response to long wait times at abortion clinics. In a statement, the healthcare provider said that in the past, patients were referred to external partners, including Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, for care. But when neighboring states passed restrictive abortion laws after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the wait times at those clinics have become longer, limiting options and creating complications for patients. (Cleveland, 11/28)
Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho Seeks To Dismiss Satanic Temple Abortion Lawsuit, Says A Suit Requires A Pregnant Woman
Attorneys representing the state of Idaho have asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit from the Satanic Temple over Idaho’s abortion laws, saying the organization lacks standing to pursue the case and refuting its legal arguments. ... The Satanic Temple’s lawsuit also does not name specific individuals who have been harmed by Idaho’s abortion laws, Church said, and did not describe any injuries that have taken place. (Moseley-Morris, 11/29)
Salt Lake Tribune: Here’s How Many Abortions Were Performed In Utah In 2020
Fewer abortions were performed in Utah in 2020 than in 2019, according to a new study released Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report tallied abortions from across the U.S. during the year that the COVID-19 pandemic began. Data is not yet available from 2021, or so far this year. But the CDC report shows that of the 630,327 abortions performed nationally, 2,362 were recorded in Utah — 560 fewer than in 2019. (Miller, 11/28)
From Texas —
Slate: Without Abortion, Doctors in Texas Are Forced to Witness Horrible Outcomes
Usually, articles in medical journals are about science; they bring data to their readers, who can use them to provide evidence-based care to their patients. But sometimes, evidence is an expression of grief or even rage. A recent journal article, “Maternal Morbidity and Fetal Outcomes Among Pregnant Women at 22 Weeks’ Gestation or Less with Complications in 2 Texas Hospitals After Legislation on Abortion,” contains such evidence. (Karkowsky, 11/28)
The New York Times: Was She Ready To Be A Mother? A Judge Got To Decide
On a hot Texas morning in 2020, Giselle, who goes by G, slipped her arms into a borrowed blazer, flipped up the nose ring in her septum so it couldn’t be seen and walked into the Coryell County Courthouse. It was the first time she had ever been to court. She was 17, 11 weeks pregnant and already beginning to show. She was going to ask a judge for authorization to seek an abortion. Her lawyer had explained that she needed to prove that she was mature enough to make this decision. G squeezed her lips around her braces, reminding herself not to smile. She didn’t want the judge to see her as a child. Because G was a minor, her access to an abortion was governed by the state’s “parental involvement” law. (Presser, 11/29)
Vice News: A Woman Wanted An Abortion To Save One Of Her Twins. She Had To Travel 1,000 Miles
Early one Friday morning, about six weeks into her pregnancy, a woman started throwing up and didn’t stop for more than 36 hours. She tried drink after drink—ginger ale, tea, Pedialyte—to rehydrate, but the woman kept vomiting. Once chills started to wrack her body, she decided enough was enough. The woman, who VICE News is calling A. for privacy reasons, needed to go to the emergency room. A., who already has a toddler son, had already been nervous about being pregnant in her home state of Texas. Although A. and her husband had planned for this pregnancy, A. worried that if anything went wrong, Texas’ ban on abortion would prevent her from getting help. (Sherman, 11/28)
Also —
The Guardian: Googling Abortion? Your Details Aren’t As Private As You Think
In the wake of the US supreme court’s overturning of Roe v Wade, Google pledged fresh policies to protect people’s abortion-related data. But new research has shown the way our location and other personal data is stored remains largely unchanged, raising fears that intimate details of a person’s abortion search could be used to penalize them. (Bhuiyan, 11/29)
NPR: How Abortion Bans—Even With Medical Emergency Exemptions—Impact Healthcare
Christina Zielke went to an ER in Ohio bleeding profusely while experiencing a miscarriage. This was in early September, before the state's 6-week abortion ban was put on hold by a judge. What happened to her next is an example of how new state abortion laws can affect medical care in emergency situations. Doctors who run afoul of these laws face the threat of felony charges, prison time and the loss of their medical license. (11/28)
Fox News: Getting Pregnant Soon After Abortion Or Miscarriage Might Have Lower Risks Than Previously Suspected: Study
A new medical study conducted in Europe is suggesting there may be fewer "adverse pregnancy outcomes" for women who get pregnant weeks after they’ve had a miscarriage or an abortion. (Moore, 11/28)
