Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Virginia Democrats Block Bills Limiting Abortion, Including 15-Week Ban
AP: Virginia Democrats Defeat Bills Limiting Abortion Access
In a series of key votes Thursday, Virginia Senate Democrats defeated several bills that would have restricted abortion access in the state, including a proposed 15-week ban with exceptions that was a priority for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. They are the first decisive legislative votes in Virginia since the Supreme Court’s decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade. The votes mean that barring an extraordinary procedural move, such restrictions are unlikely to be enacted this year in Virginia, which currently has some of the South’s most permissive abortion laws. (Rankin, 1/27)
Axios: Inside The Virginia GOP’s Abortion Dilemma
The vote highlighted an ongoing post-Roe debate among Republicans about how far new abortion restrictions should go and what exceptions they should include. Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, a practicing OB-GYN from Henrico, was the sole GOP vote against the bill. (Oliver, 1/27)
More abortion news from North and South Carolina, California, and elsewhere —
AP: NC Democrats Pitch Abortion Safeguards Despite GOP Majority
North Carolina Democrats, who narrowly held off a Republican supermajority in the General Assembly, have introduced legislation to codify abortion protections into state law as Republicans are discussing early prospects for further restrictions. Their legislation, filed Wednesday in both chambers, would prohibit the state from imposing barriers that might restrict a patient’s ability to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy before fetal viability, which typically falls between 24 and 28 weeks. (Schoenbaum, 1/26)
AP: SC Abortion Ban Gets Hearing For First Time This Session
A South Carolina Supreme Court decision five days before the General Assembly returned for 2023 raised the possibility that abortion bans could once more dominate legislative debate in the state. That likelihood increased on Thursday when a House subcommittee approved the first abortion ban to get a public hearing in the state this year. (Pollard, 1/26)
Reuters: Anti-Abortion Protesters Break Into Walgreens AGM Meeting Room
Anti-abortion protesters broke into the room where Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc held its annual shareholders meeting in Newport Coast, California, on Thursday for its decision to start selling abortion pills, the pharmacy chain said. (1/26)
The Hill: Red-State Americans See Abortion Access Slipping Away
In states where abortion is no longer protected by law, nearly half of residents report that abortion access has narrowed since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. A small but significant number of Americans know someone who has crossed state lines for an abortion, undergone a birth-control procedure or postponed getting pregnant in the months since the landmark ruling Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which negated a constitutional right to abortion after nearly half a century. (De Vise, 1/27)
KHN: 'What the Health' Part I: The State Of The Abortion Debate 50 Years After ‘Roe’
The abortion debate has changed dramatically in the seven months since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and its nationwide right to abortion. Nearly half the states have banned or restricted the procedure, even though the public, at the ballot box, continues to show support for abortion rights. In this special two-part podcast, taped the week of the 50th anniversary of the Roe decision, an expert panel delves into the fight, the sometimes-unintended side effects, and what each side plans for 2023. (1/26)
In related news on maternal deaths in Mississippi —
AP: Maternal Deaths And Disparities Increase In Mississippi
Deaths from pregnancy complications have become more prevalent in Mississippi, and racial disparities in the health of those who give birth have widened in recent years, according to a report released Thursday by the state’s Department of Health. The Mississippi Maternal Mortality Report shows that the maternal mortality rate increased by 8.8% between 2013-2016 and 2017-2019, with the latter period being the most recent one analyzed by researchers. (Goldberg, 1/27)
