Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Part Of Idaho's Abortion Ban Temporarily Blocked In Appeal
A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily limited Idaho's ability to enforce its near-total abortion ban in medical emergencies while it weighs in on a legal challenge to the ban by the Biden administration. A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month allowed the state to enforce its ban, reversing a lower court order that had partially blocked it. On Tuesday, however, the full 9th Circuit said it would rehear the case with 11 of its judges, automatically voiding the panel's order for now. (Pierson, 10/10)
Abortions decline in North Carolina 鈥
Abortions in North Carolina fell by more than 30% after the state enacted new abortion restrictions on 1 July, including a 12-week abortion ban, new data released on Wednesday by the Guttmacher Institute shows. North Carolina abortion clinics performed more than 4,200 abortions in June, but just 2,920 abortions in July. Nearby states did not see a comparable surge in abortions, suggesting that patients denied abortions in North Carolina had to self-manage their own 鈥 or simply went without. (Sherman, 10/11)
North Carolina鈥檚 drop in abortions was higher than what occurred nationally, which saw a 7 percent decline in July. ... While the drop is steep, it could have been far worse if all involved in providing abortion care had not adapted so nimbly, said Matt Zerden, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic鈥檚 associate medical director and an abortion provider. (Crumpler, 10/11) 鈥淚n some ways, it鈥檚 really remarkable that it only went down 31 percent,鈥 Zerden said.
Ohio begins early voting on abortion rights 鈥
Heavier-than-normal turnout is expected Wednesday as early voting begins in Ohio鈥檚 closely watched off-year election to decide the future of abortion access and marijuana legalization in the state. Of greatest interest nationally is Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment giving every person 鈥渢he right to make and carry out one鈥檚 own reproductive decisions.鈥 The effort comes on the heels of a string of victories for abortion rights proponents around the country who have been winning in both Democratic and deeply Republican states since the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion was overturned. (Smyth, 10/11)
Anti-abortion groups are banking on Ohio to end the movement鈥檚 run of state-level losses and create a blueprint for battles in 2024 and beyond. In four weeks, voters in the Buckeye State will decide whether to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution or be the first to reject an abortion-rights measure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (Ollstein, 10/11)
On a cloudy recent Friday morning, thousands of protestors descended on the Ohio statehouse for the March for Life, many holding signs with sayings like, 鈥淥hio is Pro-Life鈥 and 鈥淰ote No on Issue 1.鈥澛燭hat measure, Issue 1, would guarantee a constitutional right to an abortion and other reproductive health care.聽All eyes were on Ohio, said Jeanne Mancini, president of the national anti-abortion March for Life. They were at a 鈥渃ultural crossroads, she said, and Ohioians would be judged on their vote on November 7.聽(Panetta, 10/10)
Abortion news from parts of the country 鈥
More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 overturning of Roe v. Wade, Texas continues to be the largest state in the nation to ban nearly all abortions. But some questions and changes to abortion and birth control access have arisen since then. (Mendez, 10/11)
Miranda Michel鈥檚 eyes popped open on the operating table, panic gripping her body. Was she too late? Doctors had said her twins might only survive two or three minutes. She didn鈥檛 know if they鈥檇 already been born, how much time had passed, if she had missed it entirely, if they were already gone. (Klibanoff and Tauber, 10/11)
Abortion clinic owner Diane Derzis said she wanted to ensure that abortion funds鈥 limited resources were used wisely. (Boodman, 10/11)
Florida鈥檚 Republican attorney general will oppose putting a proposed amendment protecting the right to an abortion on next year鈥檚 ballot, she told the state Supreme Court when she advised justices Monday that a petition has reached enough signatures to trigger a language review. (10/10)
Six billboards with messages supporting abortion rights have been placed along Interstate 55, a highway traveled by many women from the South who seek abortion care in Illinois. (Blank, 10/11)
Indigenous people have been uniquely affected by the end of Roe. Abortion was never readily available to Native Americans, thanks to a federal law that has prohibited nearly all abortions at Indian Health Service clinics since 1976. That鈥檚 always meant traveling long distances for the procedure. But now states with some of the largest Indigenous populations also have some of the strictest restrictions on abortion: places like North and South Dakota and Oklahoma, home to the Cherokee Nation, the second-largest tribe in the U.S. with over 300,000 enrolled members. (Smith and Keyes, 10/11)