Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Indiana Governor Signs Law Banning Abortions Motivated By Fetal Defects
Indiana’s governor signed a bill on Thursday that adds broad limits to women’s access to abortions, banning those motivated solely by the mother’s objection to the fetus’s race, gender or disability, and placing new restrictions on doctors. The law, which passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled General Assembly with large majorities, builds on Indiana’s already restrictive abortion rules, and was cheered by anti-abortion groups that had encouraged Gov. Mike Pence to sign it. (Smith, 3/24)
Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill into law Thursday making Indiana the second state to ban abortions because of fetal genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome. Pence signed the measure just hours ahead of his deadline to take action on the proposal approved by the Republican-dominated Legislature two weeks ago, the governor’s office said. It is due to take effect in July, but Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky said it will ask a court to block the measure before that can happen. (Chokey, 3/24)
In other news, The Washington Post's Fact Checker examines Republican presidential candidate John Kasich's abortion record in Ohio —
Ohio is often considered a success story for opponents of abortion rights and an oppressive state for abortion-rights supporters. Yet voters listening to Kasich on the campaign trail may never know the significance of Ohio in the abortion debate. As he acknowledges, Kasich doesn’t like to like to talk about the issue or answer questions directly when asked about it. That’s where we come in. We took a deeper look at Kasich’s record on passing laws related to women’s access to abortions and whether his record reflects his antiabortion view with the exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother. (Lee, 3/25)