Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Touts 'Promise Kept' As HHS Moves Forward With Plan To Restrict Funding For Abortion Providers
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration To Advance Plan To Restrict Funding For Abortion Providers
The Trump administration will move ahead with restrictions on funding access for family planning providers that offer abortion services, the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The announcement came shortly before President Donald Trump was addressed the annual gala of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports antiabortion candidates for federal office. There, Mr. Trump said his administration had made a “historic announcement” and “kept another promise.” (Radnofsky, 5/22)
The New York Times: Trump Rule Would Bar Some Abortion Advice At Federally Funded Clinics
The proposed rule submitted last week, a copy of which was posted on the Department of Health and Human Services website, would bar clinics or programs that receive federal family planning funds from providing abortions or referring women to places that do, imposing what it calls a “bright line” of separation. It takes direct aim at Planned Parenthood and reproductive health organizations like it, which provide a range of women’s health services, including abortions. Mr. Trump hailed the new proposal — a top priority of social conservatives who have been among his staunchest supporters — at a gala on Tuesday night for the Susan B. Anthony List, a leading anti-abortion organization. “For decades, American taxpayers have been wrongly forced to subsidize the abortion industry,” Mr. Trump said, describing the new policy to sustained applause from the audience of activists and Republican lawmakers. (Davis and Shear, 5/22)
The Hill: Trump Admin Moves To Ban Federally Funded Clinics From Giving Abortion Referrals
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue said the new rule took a "scorched earth" approach to banning abortion that would limit access to other critical healthcare services. “With this rule, this administration is trying to instruct doctors about what they can or cannot say to their patients. That should alarm anyone who ever wanted to know the facts about their own healthcare or feel the doctor-patient relationship is sacred and should be protected," she said. (Hellmann 5/22)
The Hill: Trump Urges Anti-Abortion Advocates To Rally In November
President Trump on Tuesday encouraged anti-abortion advocates to turn out to the polls in November to help get more of his priorities through Congress, like a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. “If we work hard between now and November, every one of these states can be flipped to a senator who shares our values and votes our agenda,” Trump said at an annual gala held by the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group based in Washington. (Hellmann, 5/22)
CQ HealthBeat: Trump Touts Anti-Abortion Goals
President Donald Trump called on anti-abortion advocates Tuesday night to help him elect more Republicans this fall, saying it would allow him to sign more bills limiting abortion. Trump addressed guests at the annual gala in Washington of Susan B. Anthony List, one of the nation’s most powerful and politically connected anti-abortion groups. Vice President Mike Pence served as last year’s keynote speaker. (Raman, 5/22)
Politico: How Anti-Abortion Forces Learned To Love Trump
President Donald Trump on Tuesday night was feted by a leading anti-abortion group that called him the most "pro-life president" ever. It's the exact same group that just two years ago begged Iowa caucus voters to nominate “anyone” but Trump. “I’m totally eating my words,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, who praised Trump at the group's annual gala in Washington. “It’s the happiest wrong I’ve ever been." (Haberkorn and Cadelago, 5/22)
The Star Tribune: Planned Parenthood Consolidates To Cover Minnesota, Dakotas, Nebraska And Iowa
The Planned Parenthood affiliate in Minnesota and the Dakotas is consolidating with the affiliate in Nebraska and Iowa, giving the new St. Paul-based organization stronger financial backing and regional political influence. The decision brings with it the challenge of providing abortions and advocating for the right to the procedure in two conservative states. The newly named Planned Parenthood North Central States will operate 29 clinics serving 114,000 patients in the five-state region. While the consolidation has been planned for months, Planned Parenthood leaders said it comes at a pivotal time, following President Donald Trump's announced plans to strip federal family planning dollars from clinics that perform or provide referrals for abortion. (Olson, 5/22)
