Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Waiting Periods For Abortions Do Little To Deter Women, Study Finds
KQED: Study: Mandatory Waiting Period Stopped Few Abortions
Most women seeking an abortion were not deterred by a Utah law requiring a 72-hour waiting period before having the procedure, according to a recent study by the University of California, San Francisco. (Fine, 3/30)
The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood Raises Concerns With Alaska Abortion Bill
Planned Parenthood is calling a bill that would restrict late-term abortions in Alaska legally and medically questionable. The bill, from Republican Senate Majority Leader John Coghill, would ban abortions in cases where doctors deem the fetus to be viable outside the womb. It includes exceptions if the pregnancy resulted from sexual assault or incest or is medically necessary. But in those cases, it calls on the doctor to take steps that give the fetus the best chance to survive after being removed if those actions do not present "a serious risk to the life or physical health" of the woman. (Bohrer, 3/30)
