Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Short Window Opens For Early Abortions To Resume In Texas
Abortions up to about six weeks in pregnancy can resume at some clinics in Texas for now after a Harris County District Court judge granted a temporary restraining order that blocks an abortion ban that was in place before Roe v. Wade. In the ruling issued Tuesday, Judge Christine Weems ruled that the pre-Roe abortion ban 鈥渋s repealed and may not be enforced consistent with the due process guaranteed by the Texas constitution.鈥 鈥淚t is a relief that this Texas state court acted so quickly to block this deeply harmful abortion ban,鈥 Marc Hearron, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a press release. 鈥淭his decision will allow abortion services to resume at many clinics across the state, connecting Texans to the essential health care they need. Every hour that abortion is accessible in Texas is a victory. (Perez-Castells, Klibanoff and Douglas, 6/28)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told attorneys for the plaintiffs that he planned to appeal the decision to the Texas Supreme Court. "These laws are 100 percent in effect and constitutional," Paxton tweeted Tuesday. "The judge鈥檚 decision is wrong. I鈥檓 immediately appealing. I鈥檒l ensure we have all the legal tools to keep TX pro-life!" (Goldenstein, 6/28)
In other abortion news from Texas 鈥
A Texas sheriff, whose beat largely includes the city of San Antonio, has declared he would not be pursuing those in his jurisdiction who choose to get an abortion after the supreme court scrapping of federal abortion rights. In a Facebook post he shared on Tuesday, Bexar county sheriff Javier Salazar wrote of his 鈥渢wo beautiful and intelligent鈥 daughters, whom he said have a right to choose what to do with their own bodies. (Salam, 6/29)
The Denton City Council passed a resolution late Tuesday pledging to direct city resources away from investigating and enforcing reproductive health care laws after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The vote was one of the most notable actions by a local government in the state since the nation鈥檚 high court made the momentous decision Friday. Several hundred abortion-rights advocates gathered outside Denton City Hall ahead of the vote, which came after more than two hours of public comment that was at times emotional and contentious. (Smith, 6/28)
Across the U.S., more than聽2,500聽crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) provide free services and counseling for women struggling with unplanned pregnancies. They outnumber abortion clinics three to one nationwide, and as some states shutter clinics after Roe鈥檚 reversal, that ratio will grow.聽But when two NBC News producers visited state-funded CPCs in Texas to ask for counseling, counselors told them that abortions caused mental illness and implied abortions could also cause cancer and infertility. The nation鈥檚 largest national obstetricians鈥 group, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AGOC), says that鈥檚 medical misinformation. (McFadden, 6/29)