Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Will Discuss OTC Birth Control Pill Sales In November
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has scheduled a joint meeting to discuss pharmaceutical company Perrigo鈥檚 application for what could be the first over-the-counter (OTC) daily birth control pill available in the U.S., the company announced Monday. The joint meeting will be held on Nov. 18 with the FDA鈥檚 Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Obstetrics, Reproductive, and Urologic Drugs Advisory Committee, according to Perrigo. (Choi, 9/12)
The FDA's decision to consider the first birth control pill that could be sold without a prescription may solve some contraception access problems. But gaps in insurance coverage rules could make it unaffordable for some. (Gonzalez and Owens, 9/13)
In updates on abortion 鈥
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham plans to introduce legislation to restrict abortion nationally, as the politically explosive debate is emerging as one of the central issues in the midterm election campaign. (Litvan, 9/13)
An Indiana judge won鈥檛 hear arguments until next week on a lawsuit seeking to block the state鈥檚 abortion ban, leaving that new law set to take effect on Thursday. The special judge overseeing the case issued an order Monday setting a court hearing for Sept. 19, which is four days after the ban鈥檚 effective date. (Davies, 9/12)
South Carolina Republican lawmakers will keep trying to enact new abortion restrictions later this month. Speaker Murrell Smith announced Monday that the House will meet on Sept. 27, more than two weeks after the Senate sent back a markedly different proposal from the one passed earlier by the lower chamber. Contentious debates among Republicans over exceptions have emerged in a special session on abortion that convened after the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. (Pollard, 9/12)
Vice President Harris on Monday said it was 鈥渘ot by accident, but probably by design鈥 that the same 鈥渟ources鈥 who threaten abortion rights also work against voting rights and LGBTQ rights. Harris made the remarks at a meeting she convened with civil rights and abortion rights activists. Attendees included Rev. Al Sharpton, Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson and Center for Reproductive Rights CEO Nancy Northup. (Choi, 9/12)
鈥淚 was just home for the last couple of weeks and everywhere I went Nevadans approached me about their concerns about the repeal of Roe vs. Wade and that was both women and men, so it is an issue that people who are in Nevada are rightfully concerned about,鈥 Nevada Sen.聽Catherine Cortez Masto told USA TODAY.聽(Chambers, Wells and Tran, 9/12)
On abortion clinics and pregnancy centers 鈥
The women's health clinic in Bristol, Tennessee, had a seemingly simple solution to continue providing abortions after its home state banned the procedure this summer: It moved a mile up the road to Bristol, Virginia, where abortion remained legal. But relocating between the twin cities brought a host of challenges. (Borter, 9/12)
An Orlando women's clinic is challenging a potential $193,000 state fine, the third case to emerge in recent weeks about whether clinics properly complied with a law requiring 24-hour waiting periods before abortions can be performed. (Saunders, 9/12)
They have been vandalized in Worcester and Easthampton, vilified by Senator Elizabeth Warren, and put on notice by Attorney General Maura Healey, who warned consumers that most crisis pregnancy centers are not licensed medical clinics and may mislead patients about abortion. Now, they鈥檙e pushing back. (Ebbert, 9/12)