Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Tale Of Two Abortion Clinics: How Facilities That Are 20 Minutes Apart Highlight The Great Divide In The Country
Two abortion clinics are just 20 minutes apart. But separated by the Mississippi River, they operate in political worlds that are very far from each other. The Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Ill., has hired more staff and doubled its number of doctors, and it is considering adding hours as an influx of patients from neighboring states with growing restrictions seek abortion procedures there, said Alison Dreith, the clinic’s deputy director. (Calfas, 6/20)
In a matter of hours on Wednesday, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation and the governor signed into law the abortion rights protections that advocates have sought for decades. The action began with the state Senate voting 21-17 for the bill, which aims to protect abortion rights in Rhode Island in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. (Fitzpatrick, 6/19)
Groups backing two anti-abortion ballot drives in Michigan said Wednesday that they will begin collecting signatures within days after clearing procedural steps at the state elections board following a debate over what abortion-rights advocates complained are misleading and inaccurate summaries atop the petitions. The measures are citizen-initiated bills, meaning that if enough voters sign, the Republican-led Legislature could enact them into law without the signatures of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has vowed to veto similar proposals that were introduced as regular legislation. (6/19)