Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Infant Deaths Increased Nearly 13% In Wake Of Strict Abortion Law
Stat: Texas Abortion Law Was Followed By A Rise In Infant Deaths: Study
Since Texas’ ban on abortion went into effect, infant deaths in the state increased by nearly 13%, according to a new analysis published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. In the rest of the country, infant mortality increased less than 2% over the same period. (Merelli, 6/24)
The Guardian: Over Half Of US Women On Probation Or Parole Need Permission To Travel For Abortion – Study
The number of women on probation or parole who must seek permission to travel for an abortion more than doubled to 635,000 in two years since the supreme court overturned the federal right to abortion, a new report finds. Fourteen states have near-total abortion bans and 21 restrict the procedure. Together with near ubiquitous travel restrictions imposed by probation and parole, more than half of women on probation or parole in the US must seek permission to travel before obtaining an abortion. (Glenza, 6/24)
NBC News: Two Years After Dobbs, Activists Look To Capitalize On Abortion-Rights Support Ahead Of The November Election
Nearly 28 million women of reproductive age live in states with partial or total bans on abortion, according to Planned Parenthood Action Fund data provided to NBC News. Several states with partial bans could prove decisive for presidential contenders in November, including Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. Democrats have watched abortion-rights candidates and positions win again and again in purple and even red states. Now, with less than five months before voters cast their ballots, abortion-rights advocates are looking to replicate those successes nationally. (Lebowitz, 6/24)
Bloomberg: After Dobbs, Republican Anti-Abortion Ballot Measures Falter
Two years after the Supreme Court delivered the religious right their long-sought goal of repealing nationwide abortion rights, state-level initiatives to curb access are faltering. Deadlines are rapidly approaching ahead of November’s general election, but in state after state, Republican activists are falling short of the signatures necessary to put anti-abortion initiatives in front of voters. (Lowenkron, 6/24)
Axios: Which States Don't Allow Abortion Ballot Measures
Voters in half of U.S. states aren't able to support abortion access in direct-democracy ballot measures because their states lack the process for citizen-led initiatives. (Rubin, 6/24)
Also —
The Boston Globe: Mass. Governor Healey Says She Would ‘Absolutely Not’ Enforce A National Abortion Ban
Massachusetts won’t spend “one dime” enforcing a national abortion ban if such a ban ever becomes law, Governor Maura Healey pledged Monday. ... “Absolutely not. Absolutely not,” Healey replied when asked by a reporter if she would enforce a national abortion ban were it to become law. “I won’t put one dime or any energy or effort or personnel into enforcing laws that are a direct violation of a woman’s freedom and autonomy.” (Piore, 6/24)
The Boston Globe: Elizabeth Warren Campaigns For Biden On Abortion
Senator Elizabeth Warren sat in front of dozens of voters at a campaign office plastered with posters waiting for her turn to speak on a panel about abortion access. When she did, Warren at times grew so impassioned that she nearly left her seat. But it wasn’t her event, or her campaign. It wasn’t even her home state. She was in the battleground of Wisconsin, to make the case for President Biden in the hopes of firing up the Democrats who had taken time out of their Monday to listen. (Villa de Petrzelka, 6/24)
