Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Under Okla. Bill Sent To Governor, Doctors Could Lose License For Performing An Abortion
The Associated Press: Oklahoma Lawmakers Approve Bill To Revoke Licenses Of Abortion Doctors
An Oklahoma bill that could revoke the license of any doctor who performs an abortion has headed to the governor, with opponents saying the measure in unconstitutional and promising a legal battle against the cash-strapped state if it is approved. In the Republican-dominated legislature, the state's House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a Senate bill late on Thursday. Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, has not yet indicated whether she will sign it. (Herskovitz, 4/22)
The Associated Press: State Pays Millions To Bar Medicaid From Planned Parenthood
Missouri lawmakers passed a budget last week that spends millions in state money to block Planned Parenthood from accessing federal funding. The plan puts Missouri alongside at least a dozen other states in a national effort to strip public money from the country's largest abortion provider. The federal government says states don't have the authority to steer Medicaid funding away from Planned Parenthood, and courts have blocked some of those efforts. But Missouri's budget writers say eliminating federal dollars from women's health programs means federal restrictions no longer apply. (Aton, 4/24)
The Richmond Times-Dispatch: Anti-Abortion Protest Draws Dozens In Richmond
During an anti-abortion protest Saturday in Richmond, across the street from the Planned Parenthood center at 201 N. Hamilton St., Baird Stokes told protesters that his mother was just $19 short of aborting him 63 years ago. (Shulleeta, 4/23)
The Sacramento Bee: Anti-Abortion Activist With Davis Roots Protests Outside Sacramento Planned Parenthood
David Daleiden said he doesn’t take it personally that state law enforcement agents searched his Orange County home earlier this month. But the seizure of equipment and footage he used to produce a controversial series of undercover videos about Planned Parenthood seems to have fired up the now famous anti-abortion activist for a fight. (Kosseff, 4/23)
