 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Thousands gather in DC as GOP seeks abortion footing |
Anti-abortion activists descended on Washington Friday for the annual March for Life, the second since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. |
But instead of a triumphant new era, the anti-abortion movement finds itself at something of a crossroads as members try to find the right path forward to advance their cause. Politicians in Washington are trying to thread the needle amid a series of high-profile political defeats and increasing public support for abortion rights.
Abortion rights have proven to be a mobilizing force for Democrats, independents and even some Republicans. This year is the first presidential election since the 2022 Dobbs decision that ended Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that established federal abortion rights. The Biden campaign is seeking to ride that sentiment to victory.
Much of the messaging from the Biden campaign has been focused on the threat it says a Republican administration would pose to reproductive rights and personal freedoms more broadly.
Among those who addressed the March for Life crowd Friday was Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who shared that his parents were teenagers when his mother became unexpectedly pregnant with him.
"In January of 1972, exactly one year before Roe v. Wade, my parents who were just teenagers at the time chose life. And I am very profoundly grateful that they did," Johnson said.
House Republican leaders are rallying around two anti-abortion bills, though neither seek to limit abortion on a national scale and instead focus on unwanted pregnancies in college students and funding for crisis pregnancy centers.
The bills, which passed the House Thursday, underscore the desire of GOP leaders to avoid votes on controversial messaging legislation that would impose strict abortion limits.
Instead it telegraphs a different approach, focusing on expanding options for women with unplanned pregnancies rather than limiting abortions. Johnson characterized the bills as pro-family, rather than anti-abortion.
"We're passing these bills and we're marching today because it takes a lot of work to convince people that every single human child, every unborn child, has a value that is too profound and precious to ignore," Johnson said Friday. "And we have every reason to be optimistic, my friends, that we can change public opinion."
Democrats indicated they won't let vulnerable Republicans off the hook, calling out both bills as examples of a GOP anti-abortion agenda.
"Unfortunately, we're once again wasting time this week on extreme MAGA culture wars," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, calling both bills "part of Republicans' ongoing push to ban abortion nationwide." |
Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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Thousands of opponents of abortion rights gathered on a snow-covered National Mall Friday to participate in the 51st annual March for Life, headlined by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). The participants gathered for the largest anti-abortion event in the country under the theme “With every woman, for every child." Johnson and House Pro-Life Caucus Chair Chris Smith (R-N.J.) focused their speeches on two … |
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| President Biden's reelection campaign released a memo Friday outlining how it will highlight the impact former President Trump had on abortion access and what's at stake for reproductive rights in 2024. In a memo, "November 2024 Will Determine the Fate of Women’s Reproductive Rights," campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez outlined the difference between Biden and Vice President Harris and Trump on abortion access to … |
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Angela Meriquez Vázquez said she used to be an active and healthy runner. But when she contracted COVID-19 in March 2020, her condition continued declining long after the initial infection. She had severe blood clots and mini-strokes. She struggled with confusion and numbness that eventually resulted in her inability to walk for days. She knew something was wrong within weeks, but Vázquez said doctors dismissed … |
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Branch out with a different read: |
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US government rejects complaint that woman was improperly denied an emergency abortion in Oklahoma |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says an Oklahoma hospital did not violate federal law when doctors told a woman with a nonviable pregnancy to wait in the parking lot until her condition worsened enough to qualify for an abortion under the state’s strict ban. Jaci Statton, 26, was among several women last year who … | |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Democrats in Alabama Legislature file bills challenging state abortion ban (Alabama Reflector)
- In this Oklahoma town, almost everyone knows someone who's been sued by the hospital (KFF Health News)
- Wisconsin Republican lawmakers introduce 14-week abortion ban. Evers promises veto. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- The conservative plan to ban abortion without Congress (NOTUS)
- She filed a complaint after being denied an abortion. The government shut her down. (Washington Post)
- Drugmakers raise prices of Ozempic, Mounjaro and hundreds of other drugs (Wall Street Journal)
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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