Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Sanctuary Laws Needed To Protect Abortion Care; Without Roe, IVF Is At Risk
Last month, I watched with horror as we received a glimpse into the Supreme Court鈥檚 draft opinion in Dobbs. v. Jackson Women鈥檚 Health Organization. The draft revealed that the court is poised to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion, which was enshrined by Roe v. Wade in 1973. (Brianne K. Nadeau, 6/22)
Thanks to Roe v. Wade, when my wife and I built our family together, we were able to conceive via in vitro fertilization (IVF). That鈥檚 right: Roe v. Wade protects the right of people to conceive babies, too. If the U.S. Supreme Court does indeed overturn 50聽years of precedent in its decision in Dobbs v.聽Jackson聽Women's Health Organization,聽fertility services like IVF could be outlawed聽in states that legislatively declare that life begins at conception.聽The impact of such a reversal would be immense and immediate, not only for people seeking access to abortion, but also for all of us who have relied on rights that flow from that ruling to help us make decisions about when and how to become parents. (Cathryn Oakley, 6/23)
As we face the imminent overturn of Roe vs. Wade, clinicians, legislators and activists are preparing for dramatic shifts in the lives of pregnant people and their families. One trend that鈥檚 already troubling is the proliferation of crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs, in California and nationwide. These antiabortion organizations target low-income people facing unintended pregnancies. Their goal is not to provide care, but to prevent people from accessing abortion and contraception. The centers advance their mission 鈥渂y using deceptive and coercive tactics and medical disinformation, and misleadingly presenting themselves as medical facilities,鈥 according to a recent report from the Alliance: State Advocates for Women鈥檚 Rights and Gender Equality. As abortion providers in California, we have witnessed the consequences of this deception and coercion. (Jessica Hamilton and Christine Henneberg, 6/22)
In 1997, my wife Janie and I welcomed our first child, a healthy daughter born after an uncomplicated pregnancy. The baby thrived and became the light of our lives. A year later, we tried for another child, but Janie suffered a first-trimester miscarriage. Two more first-trimester miscarriages followed. We wanted more children but wondered whether trying yet again was worth risking more physical and emotional trauma. (John Caragozian, 6/22)