Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Women Who Get An Abortion Today Are Far More Likely To Be Poor Than In Decades Past
The New York Times: Why Women Getting Abortions Now Are More Likely To Be Poor
Abortion access in America is narrowing. There are fewer clinics, longer drives and more restrictions earlier in pregnancy. But something else is different: The women themselves. Women getting abortions today are far more likely to be poor than those who had the procedure done 20 years ago. Half of all women who got an abortion in 2014 lived in poverty, double the share from 1994, when only about a quarter of the women who had abortions were low-income, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights and conducts a national survey of abortion patients every six years. (Tavernise, 7/9)
Boston Globe: Who Gets Abortions In Massachusetts? Here’s What The Data Show
There were 18,256 abortions in Massachusetts last year, according to the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, which tracks the data. The annual number has dropped dramatically over time, after peaking at 44,044 in 1979. Here’s a look at who is getting abortions, at what ages, and in what circumstances, based on newly released 2018 data from the registry. (Ebbert, 7/9)
In other news on abortion —
Vox: A Boom In At-Home Abortions Is Coming
After Marie decided to take medication to end her pregnancy, it took several days for the pills to work. When the uterine contractions started, Marie recalled, she experienced “a lot of bleeding, a lot of pain, a lot of cramps. Just like a bad cycle.” (Marie asked that her last name not be used because of legal concerns.) She used a sock filled with rice, heated in the microwave, as a heating pad to relieve the cramps, and put on soothing music to help her calm down. One thing she didn’t do was call her doctor. (North, 7/9)
The Associated Press: Abortions Halted At Arkansas Clinic While New Site Sought
Planned Parenthood says it's stopped providing medication-induced abortions at its facility in northwest Arkansas while it seeks a new location, leaving the state for now with two abortion providers. Planned Parenthood Great Plains Chief Executive Officer Brandon Hill said in a court filing over the weekend that the organization stopped providing abortions at its health center in Fayetteville, located 140 miles northwest of Little Rock, while it looks for a new site. (DeMillo, 7/9)
The Associated Press: Number Of Abortions In South Dakota Continues To Decline
The number of abortions performed in South Dakota declined 23% in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to the state Department of Health's annual report on the procedure. It was the sharpest one-year decline in a decade. The report shows 382 induced abortions were performed in the state in 2018, compared to 497 in 2017. Following the decrease, Gov. Kristi Noem signed a package of bills aimed at further reducing abortions in South Dakota. Noem said after signing the bills last March that they would "crack down on abortion providers in South Dakota" by requiring providers to use a state form women must sign before they can end a pregnancy. (7/9)
