Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Challenge To Abortion-Rights Ballot Initiative Renewed In South Dakota
An anti-abortion group won the latest round in a court battle over South Dakota鈥檚 abortion-rights ballot question. The Life Defense Fund is attempting to disqualify the measure from the Nov. 5 ballot. A circuit court judge in Minnehaha County dismissed the group鈥檚 lawsuit last month. But on Friday, the state Supreme Court reversed that decision and sent the case back to the circuit court for further proceedings. (Tupper, 8/2)
Both parties in the fight over a proposed constitutional abortion amendment for Arkansas' November ballot filed briefs with the state supreme court Friday. Why it matters: The clock is ticking. Progress to getting the measure on the ballot 鈥 or rejecting it with finality 鈥 has been stalled for nearly a month while parties argue over paperwork. (Sparkman, 8/2)
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte claims that Constitutional Initiative 128, which would enshrine reproductive rights and abortion in the state constitution, would allow abortion even until birth. (Ehrlick, 8/2)
North Carolina's Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, released a TV ad Friday in which he and his wife tearfully describe their decision to get an abortion 30 years ago. Why it matters: Robinson has previously rebuked abortions and expressed support for a ban with no expressions, equating the procedure to "murder" and "genocide." (Sherman, 8/2)
On the lack of women's care 鈥
Dr. Emily Boevers is the only full-time OGBYN at a critical access hospital in a rural city in Iowa about 10 miles from the farm she grew up on. She鈥檚 the only full-time OBGYN in the county, in a state that just banned most abortions. Iowa enacted a law last week banning abortion once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, around six weeks into pregnancy, before many people even know they鈥檙e pregnant. The law includes exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies that threaten the life of the mother, and fetal abnormalities that are incompatible with life. (Mascarenhas, 8/5)
Advertisements published in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning asked North Texas medical professionals to consider moving to nearby New Mexico amid Texas' abortion bans.聽The ads, which feature an open letter from New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham, urge Texas doctors to consider moving to New Mexico if they can not tolerate Texas' restriction on abortion access. Similar ads were published in the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Austin American-Statesman.聽 (Behrndt, 8/4)
In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade, should the Supreme Court be reformed? 鈥
Justice Neil Gorsuch is pushing back against President Joe Biden鈥檚 recent proposals to restructure the Supreme Court. 鈥淚 just say: Be careful,鈥 Gorsuch warned in an interview that aired on 鈥淔ox News Sunday.鈥 Less than a week after Biden announced he was reversing course and supporting 18-year term limits for justices and legislation to create a binding ethics code for the high court, the first of President Donald Trump鈥檚 three Supreme Court appointees encouraged Americans to think long and hard before taking steps that might undermine the independence of the judicial system. (Gerstein, 8/4)
