Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Data Show Half Of 2021's Abortions In Utah Were For Economic Reasons
In 2021, there were 3,129 abortions in Utah, 2,978 of which were provided to Utah residents. When asked the reason for terminating their pregnancy, with nine reasons to choose from, approximately half of people seeking an abortion told their doctor it was for socioeconomic reasons — they couldn’t afford to go through with giving birth and caring for a child. (Stern, 10/11)
Abortion news from Ohio and New Jersey —
A ballot measure in Ohio that would guarantee access to abortion rights is fueling misleading claims about how the proposal could influence abortion care, gender-related health care and parental consent in the state. (Swenson and Fernando, 10/11)
With anti-abortion ballot measures failing in even the most conservative of states, New Jersey Democrats hope the issue will motivate voters here in November. (Nieto-Munoz, 10/9)
In other reproductive health news —
California's birthrate fell dramatically between 2007 and 2022 — and San Francisco is mirroring that trend. The state's birthrate dropped 31% from approximately 15.6 births per 1,000 people in 2007 to 10.7 in 2022. (Fitzpatrick, Beheraj and Chen, 10/11)
The University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have won a $50 million grant to study how environmental factors affect the health of fetuses, babies, and toddlers. Researchers plan to enroll 2,500 pregnant patients and their partners over a 7-year period with the grant from the National Institutes of Health, as part of a larger study of more than 60,000 children. The study will track harmful environmental exposures such as pollution, violence, and extreme temperatures, as well as beneficial ones like walkability and green space. (Avril, 10/12)
While rates continue to creep up year-on-year, particularly among younger women, evolutions in diagnostics and treatment mean breast cancer patients face far better prospects than ever before.  Rapid drug development, personalized screening recommendations, targeted therapies and new treatments like immunotherapies have all helped women diagnosed with early stage and even metastatic breast cancer. (Weixel and Manchester, 10/11)
