Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fetal Remains Must Be Again Cremated Or Buried In Indiana: Court
A federal appeals court has revived a 2016 Indiana law requiring health providers to bury or cremate fetal remains, including from abortions, rather than incinerate them with medical waste. A unanimous panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the law did not run afoul of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by requiring anyone to violate their religious beliefs, reversing a September ruling by a lower court judge. (Pierson, 11/29)
An attorney for North Dakota asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to strike down an injunction blocking the state鈥檚 abortion ban, saying a lower court judge was wrong to grant it. Matthew Sagsveen, an attorney for the state, told justices that Burleigh County District Judge Bruce Romanick 鈥渕isconstrued the law鈥 by granting the injunction. (MacPherson, 11/29)
If voters back a plan to require that constitutional amendments receive at least 60% of the vote to pass, it would apply to proposed amendments to repeal or strengthen the state鈥檚 abortion ban, according to Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. And while a change to amendment voting isn鈥檛 likely until August 2024, both sides of the abortion issue are already talking about how it might affect their plans. (Rosenbaum, 11/30)
Suspended prosecutor Andrew Warren took his battle against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to a federal court on Tuesday in the first day of a trial that鈥檚 exposing the machinations in how the governor鈥檚 office operates. DeSantis suspended the Hillsborough County state attorney in August over a handful of moves the Democratic elected official made, including signing a pledge in June that he would not enforce the state鈥檚 abortion laws. Florida recently enacted a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy without exceptions for rape or incest. (Fineout, 11/29)
More on the effects of Roe v. Wade's demise 鈥
The Senate passed a bill Tuesday to codify federal recognition of same-sex marriage that got bipartisan support because of added measures on religious liberty protections. The 61-36 vote sends the bill to the House, where Democratic leaders have said they intend to hold a vote on the measure during the lame-duck session. (Macagnone, 11/29)
