Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Doctor Asks Indiana AG To Cease False Statements In Child Abortion Case
A lawyer on Friday emailed the Indiana state鈥檚 attorney general asking him to stop spreading false or misleading information about an Indianapolis doctor who performed an abortion in June on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio. Attorney Kathleen DeLaney sent the 鈥渃ease and desist鈥 letter to Indiana Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita on behalf of obstetrician-gynecologist Caitlin Bernard, who performed a medical abortion on the girl. (Rodgers, 7/17)
The Indianapolis doctor who helped a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim obtain an abortion was forced to stop offering services at a clinic in 2020 after she was alerted of a kidnapping threat against her daughter. And she is currently listed as a 鈥渢hreat鈥 on an antiabortion website that was linked to Amy Coney Barrett before she was nominated to the Supreme Court and helped overturn Roe v. Wade. (Bella and Bellware, 7/16)
On reports of delays in reproductive care in Texas 鈥
Some Texas hospitals have reportedly been refusing to treat patients with serious pregnancy complications over fears of violating the state's abortion ban, the Dallas Morning News reported. (Shapero, 7/15)
Some hospitals in Texas have reportedly refused to treat patients with major pregnancy complications for fear of violating the state鈥檚 abortion ban, the Texas Medical Association said in a letter this week. The association did not name the hospitals but said it鈥檚 received complaints that hospitals, administrators and their attorneys may be prohibiting doctors from providing medically appropriate care in some situations, The Dallas Morning News reported. (7/15)
On news on abortion matters across the states 鈥
As millions of Americans protest restrictions that preclude abortions, even when the life of a woman is at risk, Montana state Rep. Brad Tschida (R) is arguing that a woman鈥檚 womb 鈥渟erves no specific purpose to her life or well-being.鈥 Tschida, a former Montana House majority leader who is running for the state Senate, wrote an email this week to more than 100 legislators citing a podcast featuring a woman who is an antiabortion advocate, according to the Daily Montanan. (Bella, 7/15)
With access to abortion flickering in Louisiana, the legal battle over the statewide ban continues with a court hearing scheduled to begin Monday morning. State District Judge Donald Johnson issued a temporary order last week blocking enforcement pending the hearing in a lawsuit that claims the state law is unconstitutionally vague. (7/18)
Attorneys for groups challenging the law acknowledged that the ruling allows the state鈥檚 ban on many abortions to take effect. But they argued in their brief that a provision that grants 鈥減ersonhood鈥 to a fetus should remain blocked. (Brumback, 7/16)
For months, Trust Women had been gearing up for the federal abortion protections to disappear. They had a plan.聽 (Luthra, 7/15)
Growing up, Prachi Priyam didn鈥檛 know she wanted to help people get abortions. She wasn鈥檛 even sure if she believed women should terminate pregnancies. (Holder, 7/18)
As California鈥檚 efforts to enshrine abortion access continue, the University of California and California State University are working to provide medication abortions on all campuses by Jan. 1. (Seshadri, 7/17)