Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Governor Defends Abortion Law's Treatment Of Rape, Incest Victims
CBS News: Texas Governor Says New Law Won't Force Rape Victims To Give Birth Because They'll Have 6 Weeks To Get An Abortion
Texas Governor Greg Abbott defended his state's strict new abortion law, saying that it doesn't force victims of rape and incest to carry babies to term because it "provides at least 6 weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion." At the signing for a GOP-supported voting bill on Tuesday, a reporter asked Abbott why he would "force" a rape or incest victim to carry a pregnancy stemming from sexual assault to term. The new abortion bill, which went into effect last week, outlaws abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected — as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy and well before many women even know they are pregnant. The governor responded that the bill "doesn't require that at all because, obviously, it provides at least 6 weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion." (9/7)
Dallas Morning News: Claims By Gov. Greg Abbott On Some Aspects Of New Texas Abortion Law Draw Criticism From Experts
Medical experts lambasted a claim by Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday about the time a person has to receive an abortion under Texas’ new law that outlaws the procedure at six weeks. Asked by a reporter why the legislation forces victims of rape and incest to carry a pregnancy to term, Abbott replied that the question’s premise was false because the bill “provides at least six weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion.” Although the new law prohibits people from seeking an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, they don’t have that whole time to make a decision and make arrangements for getting an abortion. Blood or urine tests can begin to detect a pregnancy between 6 and 10 days after fertilization. However, before women receive abortions, Texas law already requires them to have an ultrasound that confirms their pregnancy is located in the uterus. (O'Hanlon, 9/7)
The Texas Tribune: San Antonio, Texas, Facilities Stop Offering Abortions, Fearing Lawsuits
Three out of the four abortion facilities in San Antonio have temporarily stopped offering the procedure in hopes of avoiding lawsuits from private citizens under Texas’ new restrictive abortion law. Two abortion clinics and one surgical center, operated by Planned Parenthood of South Texas, paused all abortions starting Sept. 1, when one of the country’s most stringent abortion laws went into effect. The law bans abortions whenever fetal cardiac activity is detected — as early as six weeks into pregnancy, when many don’t know they are pregnant. (Bohra, 9/7)
The New York Times: Democrats Press Biden To Take On Texas Abortion Law
Democrats and reproductive rights activists pressed the Biden administration on Tuesday to take more aggressive action to stop a Texas law that prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, even as administration officials and legal experts acknowledged it would be difficult to curtail the law in the coming months. House Democrats, following similar calls over the weekend from a leading liberal legal scholar, pushed Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to use the Justice Department’s powers to prosecute Texas residents now empowered under the law to sue women seeking abortions. (Schmidt, 9/7)
In related news —
The Guardian: Texas Abortion ‘Whistleblower’ Website Forced Offline
Troubles are mounting for a Texas website used to report violators of the state’s extreme anti-abortion legislation after the site was forced offline by two different web hosting platforms. The site ProLifeWhistleblower.com was removed from its original web host by the provider GoDaddy on Friday before being suspended by its new host, an agency known for providing services to far-right groups. (Paul, 9/7)
AP: Activists Focus On Tip Site In Protesting Texas Abortion Law
Young people on social media have found a way to protest Texas’ new law banning most abortions by focusing on a website established by the state’s largest anti-abortion group that takes in tips on violations. They’ve shared short videos and guides on how to flood the Texas Right to Life site with fake information, memes and prank photos; it’s an online activism tactic that comes naturally to a generation that came of age in the internet era. (Stengle and Ortutay, 9/7)
The Oregonian: Portland’s Planned Boycott Over Texas Abortion Law Could Cost Lone Star State $7M A Year
Portland’s plan to boycott Texas goods and services over that state’s new abortion law could cost companies in the state millions of dollars a year, city officials said Tuesday. Heather Hafer, a spokeswoman with the Office of Management and Finance, said the city of Portland has inked nearly $35 million in contracts with Texas-based businesses over the last five years. (Kavanaugh, 9/7)
The Washington Post: Sexual Assault Counselors Could Be Liable Under Texas Abortion Law
Advocates for sexual assault survivors in Texas have been keeping close tabs on the six-week abortion ban — and they’re worried. Senate Bill 8, which took effect on Wednesday, has no exceptions for rape or incest. If advocates offer an abortion referral to a survivor carrying a baby conceived in rape, they could be sued. The lack of rape or incest exception sets S.B. 8 apart from some of the abortion bans that have been passed — and subsequently struck down — in other states. If survivors of sexual violence are pregnant and want to get an abortion after six weeks gestation, they now have to go out of state. (Kitchener, 9/7)
The Washington Post: Care Net, Other Crisis Pregnancy Centers See An Opportunity In Texas Abortion Ban
Waco’s only crisis pregnancy center was built to intercept people en route to their abortions. Situated right across the street from Planned Parenthood, Care Net advertises free ultrasounds and prenatal care on a sign meant to steer people to the left, instead of the right. Once they’re inside, patients are offered white cheddar popcorn in a consultation room adorned with abstract paintings of flowers and trees, where advocates are waiting to persuade them to choose life. Now that S.B. 8 has outlawed abortions after six weeks in Texas, the interception will be easier. Across the state, crisis pregnancy centers are anticipating a surge in patients, as pregnant people, in desperate need of care, have nowhere else to go. (Kitchener, 9/4)
In other abortion news —
AP: South Dakota Governor Orders Restrictions On Abortion Meds
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday issued an executive order to restrict access to abortion medication and make it clear that medicine-induced abortions fall within state law requiring an in-person consultation with a physician. Amid a nationwide push among Republicans to outlaw most abortions, Noem directed the state Department of Health to create rules that abortion-inducing drugs can only be prescribed or dispensed by a state-licensed physician after an in-person examination. South Dakota law already places that requirement on doctors, but the Republican governor’s order was made in anticipation that the Food and Drug Administration later this year will allow abortion medications to be dispensed through the mail or virtual pharmacies. (Groves, 9/7)
Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville's EMW Buffer Zone Allowed, Anti-Abortion Lawsuit Continues
A federal judge has refused to halt the creation of a buffer zone outside of the EMW women's clinic downtown to keep protesters away from patients. The judge, however, also refused to dismiss the lawsuit from Sisters for Life and its president, Angela Minter, ruling that the group's misinterpretation of the ordinance meant it deserved another chance to make its case. Sisters for Life "must be given a reasonable opportunity to present material detailing what the practical effects of the 10-foot buffer zone would be on their sidewalk counseling efforts," wrote District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings. (Costello, 9/7)
The Washington Post: Patricia Maginnis, Trailblazing Abortion Rights Activist, Dies At 93
In the decade before Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide, Patricia Maginnis emerged as one of the country’s first abortion rights activists, campaigning on behalf of women’s freedom to safely end unwanted pregnancies. She distributed a list of reliable abortion providers in Mexico, Sweden and Japan; organized medical conferences in which doctors shared safe abortion techniques; and even taught women how to perform the procedure themselves, sometimes delivering lectures while using an intrauterine device as a pointer. (Smith, 9/7)
