Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Will Republicans Push National Abortion Ban? Party Is Divided
Politico: Republicans Splinter On How To Handle A Post-Roe World
As Roe vs. Wade teeters, Republicans are fractured about what to do next. The split may turn into a chasm if they take back full control of Washington in 2025. Some in the GOP now acknowledge they may eventually pursue national abortion restrictions should a majority of the Supreme Court follow through on its draft opinion overturning Roe, after spending several days trying to deflect by focusing on the document’s unauthorized disclosure. And there’s a range of opinions among Hill Republicans about what comes next: leave abortion policy to the states, pursue more modest restrictions or go all-out to install a ban nationwide. (Levine and Everett, 5/9)
ABC News: Democrats Ready Vote To Legalize Abortion After McConnell Says National Ban 'Possible'
A critical week in the battle over abortion rights -- what activists are calling the "fight of a generation" -- kicked off in the U.S. Senate on Monday, with Democrats preparing to force a vote seeking to enshrine abortion rights into federal law, following last week's bombshell leak showing the Supreme Court's conservative majority ready to overturn Roe versus Wade. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on Monday on a motion to start debate on the Women's Health Protection Act, setting up the bill for a roll call vote on Wednesday -- but without 60 votes needed to overcome the Senate filibuster, the legislation is poised to fail, as a similar version did in February. Republicans are united against both the bill and lowering the threshold to break the Senate filibuster. (Cathey, 5/9)
The Hill: Abortion Fight Could Cap Pelosi’s Long, Historic Career
The explosive fight over the fate of Roe v. Wade has thrust Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) into the national spotlight in the familiar role of defending abortion rights — a lifelong battle for the veteran liberal lawmaker that might also prove among her last on Capitol Hill. Pelosi, the nation’s first female Speaker, is well-versed in the divisive fight, having been a champion of women’s reproductive rights since long before her arrival in Congress more than three decades ago. (Lillis, 5/10)
The Washington Post: GOP’s Midterm Bet: Voters Will Care More About Inflation Than Abortion
One week after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, Republican candidates and strategists are increasingly confident that such a decision would not seriously harm the GOP’s chances of regaining House and Senate majorities come November, as Democrats have suggested it might. That belief is rooted in reams of polling, nearly all of it conducted before the leak, showing that economic challenges, particularly runaway inflation, are by far the most powerful force motivating voters this year, followed by crime and immigration — issues where Republicans believe they will have an enduring advantage. (DeBonis and Dawsey, 5/9)
Reuters: Suburban Phoenix Is Cautionary Tale For Democrats Hoping To Galvanize Voters On Abortion
Laura Wilson is a mother of three who lives in the sprawling suburbs of north Phoenix, a hotly contested electoral area of Arizona that could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate after November's congressional elections. Wilson, 61, is pro-choice, voted for Democratic President Joe Biden, and knew all about the news last week that the U.S. Supreme Court is likely poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision giving women the right to an abortion. Yet Wilson said she is undecided about who she will vote for this November, and abortion rights are not a priority for her. (Reid, 5/9)
