Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Anti-Abortion Group Accuses Planned Parenthood Of Not Offering Prenatal Care
An anti-abortion group released a video this week purporting to show that Planned Parenthood does not offer comprehensive prenatal services, an accusation that the women’s health organization said deliberately misrepresented its mission. The group, Live Action, said that of 97 Planned Parenthood centers it had contacted, only five said they provided prenatal care, one of the many medical services offered by the organization, which has approximately 650 health centers operated by 57 affiliates across the country. (Bromwich, 1/24)
Emboldened by a Republican in the White House, the GOP-led House on Tuesday backed legislation that would permanently bar federal funds for any abortion coverage. The measure, which passed 238-183, would also block tax credits for some people and businesses buying abortion coverage under former President Barack Obama's health care law. Republicans passed a similar bill in 2015 under veto threat from Obama and the legislation went nowhere. (1/24)
It does allow exceptions for cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life in danger. (Marcos, 1/24)
Even if the bill is signed into law, the current status quo won't substantially change. Similar language restricting abortion funding, known as the Hyde Amendment, has been included in annual spending bills since 1976. It says that no appropriated funds can be used for abortions or for health plans that include abortion coverage except for pregnancies caused by rape or incest or if the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. (Siddons, 1/24)
When the GOP announced the bill last week, Democrats vowed to fight it and decried federal interference with a local issue. But on the House floor, just three Democratic members of Congress — and the District’s non-voting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton — stood up on behalf of the city. (Portnoy and Davis, 1/24)
One of President Trump’s first foreign policy decisions is set to affect some of the world’s poorest people: women seeking health services in places such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where government hospitals are sometimes scarce. On Monday, the Trump administration announced that it would revive a Reagan-era policy that bans American assistance to organizations that offer abortion services, including counseling and referrals. In practice, experts say, that policy will freeze millions of dollars in funding that has gone to critical health treatment, including HIV testing and neonatal care. (Sieff, 1/24)
