House Resolution Aims To Reaffirm FDA’s Oversight On Abortion Pill Access
The resolution also emphasizes the authority of the U.S. attorney general to take action against any state that enacts a law that limits a patient’s ability to use such products, The Hill reports.
The Hill:
House Democrats Move To Reaffirm FDA Authority On Abortion Pill Access
House Democrats on Monday introduced a resolution to reaffirm the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority to preempt state law and ensure patients continue to have access to reproductive health care products. The resolution from Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) reaffirms the FDA’s authority to prevent states from enacting regulations that limit or prohibit patients from accessing reproductive health products approved by the agency, including abortion pills delivered directly to patients. (Weixel, 10/17)
In other abortion updates —
The Washington Post:
The Covert Abortion Network That Could Upend GOP Plans For A Post-Roe America
A growing army of community-based distributors is reaching pregnant women through word of mouth and social media — and supplying pills for free. (Kitchener, 10/18)
Reuters:
Planned Parenthood Asks N. Carolina Court To Let More Health Workers Provide Abortions
North Carolina abortion providers on Monday asked a state court to allow health professionals other than physicians to provide medication abortions, as clinics struggle to accommodate an influx of abortion patients from across the U.S. South. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective filed a motion seeking temporary relief from a state law that bans “advanced practice clinicians,” including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, from providing abortions. (Borter, 10/17)
Axios:
Social Media Loses Ground On Abortion Misinformation
Big Tech platforms are blocking abortion-pill distribution information and permitting false narratives about abortion to spread, more than 100 days after the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning a constitutional right to abortion. (Gold and Gonzalez, 10/18)
Stat:
After Dobbs, U.S. Medical Students Head Abroad For Abortion Training
A fourth-year medical student, Tema, faced an abrupt interruption to her education earlier this year. A state law banning abortion after six weeks went into effect hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and two days later, the clinic where her school provided first-hand abortion experience shut down. (Goldhill, 10/18)
In election news —
AP:
Physicians Want Voter Pamphlet Correction On Abortion Bill
Two physician groups have asked Montana election officials to issue a correction to statements printed in a voter information pamphlet that they argue are false and and could confuse voters as they consider an abortion-related ballot measure. The complaint comes from two groups that oppose a referendum that would raise the prospect of criminal charges for health care providers unless they take “all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life” of an infant born alive, including after an attempted abortion. (10/17)
Politico:
Democrats’ Midterm Hopes Fade: ‘We Peaked A Little Early’
Ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, it seemed possible that Democrats could avoid a midterm disaster. But if the post-Roe summer belonged to Democrats, by mid-October, even they can see the momentum they had is fading. A recent CBS News/YouGov survey has Democrats running 2 percentage points behind Republicans in the generic congressional ballot — a measure closely tied to a party’s performance in the midterms. (Siders, 10/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Democrats Test Where Latino Voters Stand On Abortion Post-Roe
Gabe Vasquez’s latest campaign ad is simple to the point of austere: Black-and-white portraits of women, a melancholic piano score, and a recitation of his opponent’s stance on abortion. “I will always protect a woman’s right to choose,” Vasquez, a Democrat, vows, drawing a contrast with his Republican opponent, Rep. Yvette Herrell. (Mason and Bierman, 10/17)
NBC News:
Vast Majority Of Republicans Support Abortion Exceptions For Rape, Incest And Mother’s Health
Eight in 10 American adults say abortion is important to their vote in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, including a 56% majority who say it is very important, according to a Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES)/SurveyMonkey survey released Monday of nearly 22,000 American adults. (Perry, Trussler, Clinton and Lapinski, 10/17)
In related news about pregnancy —
The 19th:
Bill Aims To Improve Care Of Pregnant Women, Babies In Federal Prisons
Legislation introduced by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Sen. Susan Collins aims to improve care in federal prisons for pregnant and postpartum women and their babies. (Gilyard, 10/17)
