Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Eases Pandemic Restrictions On Abortion In Surprise Move
A ban on nearly all abortions in Texas during the coronavirus pandemic appears to be over, as clinics began offering the procedure again Wednesday and state lawyers ceded in a legal filing that there is no longer any "case or controversy." The near-total ban has been the subject of weeks of litigation 鈥 starting in late March when Gov. Greg Abbott postponed all surgeries not 鈥渋mmediately medically necessary鈥 to preserve medical resources for coronavirus patients. Attorney General Ken Paxton said the ban extended to abortions, and the politically conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely sided with state officials. (Najmabadi, 4/22)
During the weeks of legal wrangling that went all of the way to the Supreme Court, Texas had argued that abortion was like any other elective surgery, and should be delayed to preserve the personal protective equipment needed by medical workers exposed to the virus. Lawyers for abortion clinics said the state was using the pandemic to advance its own political agenda, and took the state to court. Abortion access in Texas swung wildly for a month, with clinics canceling dozens of appointments and rescheduling them days later, as the case bounced through the court system. (Tavernise, 4/22)
Abortion services appear to have resumed in Texas after聽Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) issued an order last week that took effect Wednesday allowing elective procedures to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic. The news comes after Abbot issued an executive order late last month that banned abortions as part of a general halt to all聽elective medical procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic.聽(Klar, 4/22)
A federal appeals court has allowed Arkansas to enforce a ban on most surgical abortions, as part of a state directive aimed at postponing medical procedures not deemed urgent during the coronavirus outbreak. The ruling from the eighth US circuit court of appeals in St Louis, Missouri, lifted a federal judge鈥檚 order which had allowed abortions to continue. The new ruling does not affect abortion induced through medication in the early stages of pregnancy, which is still allowed. (Glenza, 4/22)
