Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
South Korean Investigation Reveals Widespread Adoption Fraud
The findings of a government probe confirm what many adoptees attested to for years: Babies were sent abroad for profit, often with falsified backstories. (Cho, 3/27)
In other reproductive health news 鈥
A crowd of protesters on each side of the abortion debate flooded a windowless Georgia Capitol hallway Wednesday with chants and signs as lawmakers held a hearing on a bill that would ban the procedure in almost all cases. Although the bill will not go anywhere this year because a deadline has passed for consideration by both chambers, the hearing granted by the House鈥檚 Republican leadership gave anti-abortion activists a chance to speak out on an issue near and dear to their constituents. The bill would make most abortions a crime from the point of fertilization, at which point one would be considered a person, and classify the procedure as a homicide. (Kramon, 3/26)
Texas Republicans have proposed changes to the state鈥檚 strict abortion ban they say would make clear that doctors can terminate pregnancies for serious medical risks without having to wait until a patient鈥檚 condition becomes life-threatening. The legislation comes in response to a ProPublica investigation last fall that revealed how three Texas women died after they did not receive critical procedures during miscarriages. (Surana and Jaramillo, 3/27)
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has signed Senate Bill 1352 and House Bill 1635, which build on a 2021 law that allowed some midwives to establish private practices after completing 1,000 training hours under agreements with other physicians. The new bills will extend that opportunity to other types of midwives. Youngkin also signed House Bill 1904, which will allow midwives and nurse practitioners to be on 24-hour on-call duty rosters. But for the second year in a row, he is seeking an amendment on the unconscious bias training bill. Senate Bill 740 and House Bill 1649 would require workers to complete unconscious bias and cultural competency training to renew medical licenses. (Woods, 3/27)
A House budget panel is recommending that lawmakers eliminate funding for a family planning program for low-income Granite Staters. That funding allows certain health centers to provide contraception, STI testing and other reproductive and sexual health care at no cost. (Cuno-Booth, 3/26)
Also 鈥
A 66-year-old woman in Germany gave birth to her 10th child on March 19.聽Alexandra Hildebrandt, the mother, tells TODAY.com that she did not use fertility drugs, and had no difficulty conceiving.聽The baby, a boy named Philipp, was delivered through a cesarean section at Charit茅 Hospital in Berlin. Hildebrandt says he weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 鈥渉ealthy.鈥 (Abrahamson, 3/27)