Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
US Infant Mortality Rates Grew 3% in 2022
ABC News: Infant Mortality In The US Rose 3% In 2022, Marking 2nd Year Of Increases: CDC
Infant mortality rates in the United States increased by 3% in 2022, according to a new federal report published early Thursday morning. Researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics looked at linked birth and death data sets -- information from the death certificate linked to the information from the birth certificate -- from the National Vital Statistics System. (Kekatos, 7/25)
CNN: US Infant Mortality Increased In 2022 For The First Time In Decades, CDC Report Shows
Infant mortality in the US has been generally trending down since at least 1995, when consistent tracking started, but rates are still much higher in the US than they are in many peer nations. There have been some small upticks over that time, but 2022 was the first time there was a statistically significant increase since 2002, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Experts say that any increase is cause for concern. (McPhillips, 7/25)
In abortion updates —
Reuters: GOP States' Effort To Restrict Abortion Pill Rebuffed By Appeals Court
A group of Republican-led states do not have legal standing to try to get a court to impose restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, including a ban on prescribing it by telemedicine and dispensing it by mail, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The decision comes the month after the U.S. Supreme Court preserved access to the pill by finding that anti-abortion groups and doctors in a separate case do not have standing to seek restrictions on it. The Supreme Court did not rule on the underlying merits of the case, leaving the pill open to future challenges. (Pierson, 7/24)
AP: North Dakota Judge Will Decide Whether To Throw Out A Challenge To The State's Abortion Ban
Attorneys argued Tuesday over whether a North Dakota judge should toss a lawsuit challenging the state’s abortion ban, with the state saying the plaintiffs’ case rests on hypotheticals, and the plaintiffs saying key issues remain to be resolved at a scheduled trial. State District Judge Bruce Romanick said he will rule as quickly as he can, but he also asked the plaintiffs’ attorney what difference he would have at the court trial in August. (Dura, 7/23)
AP: Texas Woman's Lawsuit After Being Jailed On Murder Charge Over Abortion Can Proceed, Judge Rules
A Texas woman who was jailed and charged with murder after self-managing an abortion in 2022 can move forward with her lawsuit against the local sheriff and prosecutors over the case that drew national outrage before the charges were quickly dropped, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton denied a motion by prosecutors and the sheriff to dismiss the lawsuit during a hearing in the border city of McAllen. Lizelle Gonzalez, who spent two nights in jail on the murder charges and is seeking $1 million in damages in the lawsuit, did not attend the hearing. (Gonzalez, 7/24)
