Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lawmakers Aim To Loosen Abortion Bans In Kentucky and Tennessee
Abortion rights supporters mounted another push Wednesday to restore abortion access in Kentucky, but the Democratic lawmaker sponsoring the legislation acknowledged the odds are overwhelmingly against them in the Republican-dominated legislature. A near-total abortion ban has been in place in Kentucky since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The so-called trigger law banned abortions except when carried out to save the mother鈥檚 life. It does not include exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest. (Schreiner, 1/31)
Laws on abortion are out of step with public opinion. One Republican legislator in Tennessee is working to establish exceptions to his state's strict abortion laws, but he faces a tough battle. (Riddle, 1/31)
麻豆女优 Health News: More 鈥楴avigators鈥 Are Helping Women Travel To Have Abortions聽
Chloe Bell is a case manager at the National Abortion Federation. She spends her days helping people cover the cost of an abortion and, increasingly, the interstate travel many of them need to get the procedure. 鈥淲hat price did they quote you?鈥 Bell asked a woman from New Jersey who had called the organization鈥檚 hotline seeking money to pay for an abortion. Her appointment was the next day. 鈥淭hey quoted me $500,鈥 said the woman, who was five weeks pregnant when she spoke to Bell in November. She gave permission for a journalist to listen to the call on the condition that she not be named. (Hughes, 2/1)
Access to telehealth abortion care can determine whether a person can obtain an abortion in the United States. For young people and those living on low incomes, telehealth makes a critical difference in getting timely abortion care. These are the key findings from our recent studies published in the American Journal of Public Health and the Journal of Medical Internet Research. (Koenig and Upadhyay, 1/30)
In other reproductive health news 鈥
Polycystic ovary syndrome, known as PCOS, has long been known for symptoms such as missed periods or excess body hair. Now, new research has revealed another potential effect: cognitive dysfunction later in life. (Rogers, 1/31)