Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Sued Over Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors Being Denied Contraception, Abortion
The federal government is placing unaccompanied immigrant minors caught crossing the Southern border, including teenage girls who were raped on the journey north, in the care of religion-based agencies that refuse to provide legally required access to contraception and abortion, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday. Like the dispute over the requirement that health plans cover contraception, the lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Department of Health and Human Services, highlights a clash between federal rules and the beliefs of Roman Catholic and other groups that say they are exempt from the requirements on grounds of religious freedom. (Eckholm, 6/24)
An administrative law judge on Friday ordered the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to pay attorney's fees to Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, Inc., in a legal tussle over abortion. (6/26)
The ballot campaign to create universal health care in Colorado drew an unlikely and prominent opponent this week: NARAL ProChoice Colorado, one of the state’s leading abortion rights groups. The organization — more accustomed to fighting to expand health care services — is opposing Amendment 69 because it worries that the measure could limit access to abortion care. (Frank, 6/24)
