With Roe V. Wade In Possible Peril, Planned Parenthood Turns Attention To Building Up Defenses At State Level
A key part of Planned Parenthood's strategy calls for expanding services in states where abortion is likely to remain legal and accessible, with longer business hours, additional staff and new clinics among the possible steps it will take. Meanwhile, the organization's next director Dr. Leana Wen reflects on her time as Baltimore’s health commissioner. News on abortion comes out of Kentucky, Oregon, Alabama and West Virginia, as well.
The Associated Press:
Planned Parenthood Launches Plan To Protect Abortion Access
Planned Parenthood on Wednesday launched a campaign to protect access to abortion as widely as possible even if the Supreme Court, with the addition of conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, moves to curtail a woman's right to undergo the procedure. "We know that we'll need an ironclad network of states and providers across the country where abortion will still be legal and accessible, no matter what happens at the Supreme Court," said Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood's executive vice president. (Crary, 10/10)
The Baltimore Sun:
Wen Reflects On Four Years As Baltimore Health Commissioner
Women are in for the fight of their lives in the next few years, says Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore’s departing health commissioner. And starting next month Wen will be on the front lines of that battle over women’s health when the 35-year-old becomes executive director of Planned Parenthood of America. ...As health commissioner, she sometimes held back some of her opinions. For example, she wishes she had challenged Gov. Larry Hogan on the way he doled out money for key health programs. Baltimore should have received a greater portion in some cases, including funds for opioid use prevention, because the city bears the brunt of the overdoses, she said. (McDaniels, 10/12)
The Associated Press:
Abortion Clinic, Other Groups Seeking $1.5M From Kentucky
Kentucky’s only abortion clinic and two groups are asking for almost $1.5 million in legal costs from the state after winning a federal case over the clinic’s existence. The Courier Journal reports that lawyers for EMW Women’s Surgical Center of Louisville, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky and the American Civil Liberties Union filed motions Thursday seeking legal expenses. (10/11)
CQ:
Three States Prepare To Vote On New Abortion Initiatives
Oregon, Alabama and West Virginia voters will face separate ballot initiatives next month aimed at restricting abortion access in those states. These ballot initiatives fit into a larger fight over abortion that continues to heat up. Anti-abortion advocates hope that changes at the state level can be used as test cases and later implemented more broadly, while abortion-rights advocates hope to defeat them. A particularly contentious ballot initiative can be used as a messaging move to drive voters to the polls in tight elections such as this fall's West Virginia Senate race. (Raman, 10/12)
