4 (1 votes)
Healthcare Prof:
The following highlights current news of state action on women’s wellness concerns.
Iowa: Campaign staff to Republican gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Jim Nussle on Tuesday said that Nussle would sign a bill banning abortion inside the second and third trimesters of pregnancy if elected, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 9/6). “Currently in Iowa it is legal to have an abortion in the second or third trimester,” Nussle campaign manager Nick Ryan in a statement said, adding, “Jim would sign a law that bans second and third trimester abortions since it saves lives. Jim does not personally favor first trimester abortions” (Nussle release, 9/5). In accordance with the Register, Nussle’s aides did not say if he would support exceptions in circumstances of rape or incest (Des Moines Register, 9/6). Some state Democrats have said that Nussle’s campaign has been unclear about his position on abortion rights, the AP/Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “I think that females of this state have a right to know exactly where candidates are on this issue,” state Agriculture Secretary Patty Judge, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor and Secretary of State Chet Culver’s running mate, stated on Wednesday, adding that she and Culver “have been very consistent when it comes to choice” (Glover, AP/Cedar Rapids Gazette, 9/6). Culver has said he supports abortion rights and would veto any legislation seeking to place limitations on the process (Des Moines Register, 9/6).
New Jersey: A proposed bill (A 2016) that would allow health care professionals to refuse to fill prescriptions for any drug that contradicts their religious, moral or ethical beliefs likely will be narrowed, according to the bill’s sponsor, Assembly member Sean Kean, the Gannett/Cherry Hill Courier Post reports. The bill — drafted by the state Office of Legislative Services and based on a 1974 state law that allows well being care providers the right to refuse to provide abortions — currently applies to a “range of professions,” such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, dentists, marriage counselors, optometrists, pharmacists and veterinary medical examiners, the Gannett/Courier Post reports. Kean stated that the state Office of Legislative Services might have gone too far in what professions would be covered, adding, “I would not be interested in pursuing [the bill] being so expansive.” Jill Morrison, senior counsel to the Washington, D.C.-based National Women’s Law Center, said the bill is “among the worst [he's] seen,” adding that parts with the legislation “clearly violates standards of care and codes of ethics, since it is allowing wellness care providers to wholly abandon patients in their time of need.” Hrant Jamgochian with the American Pharmacists Association — which recognizes pharmacists’ correct to refuse to fill prescriptions that might be against their beliefs — stated the APA believes that “there needs to be some system in place that doesn’t disrupt a patient’s access to appropriate wellness care” (Bowman, Gannett/Cherry Hill Courier Post, 9/6).
New York: The state Court of Appeals on Wednesday heard arguments in a case challenging a state law that requires employers that offer prescription drug plans to offer coverage for FDA-approved contraceptives for girls, the Albany Times-Union reports (Morgan Bolton, Albany Times-Union, 9/7). The law, titled the Women’s Well being and Wellness Act, exempts religious or faith-based organizations from offering contraceptive coverage only if they primarily employ and serve members of that faith. The law does not exempt some Roman Catholic groups simply because their activities are not considered to be religious. The Appellate Division with the high court in January ruled against a coalition of Catholic and Protestant institutions inside the state, which includes state Roman Catholic bishops, that is searching for to block the bill. In its ruling the court stated that the law doesn’t violate state or federal constitutions (Kaiser Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, 1/17). Attorney Michael Costello, who’s representing the coalition, on Wednesday asked the high court to issue an injunction that would exempt the religiously affiliated groups from adhering to the law. “You can judiciously craft an appropriate exemption,” Costello said, adding, “You can either expand it or declare the exemption unconstitutional.” State Assistant Solicitor Common Shaifali Puri and attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday stated the law supports women’s well being and seeks to eliminate gender discrimination in insurance coverage. Puri also said that in drafting the law, state legislators had been responding to evidence that it protects females, the Times-Union reports. The court is expected to decide on the case in about one month (Albany Times-Union, 9/7).
Texas: Gubernatorial and state Senate candidates recently expressed their views on a proposed abortion-related “trigger law” that would ban abortion in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court had been to overturn Roe v. Wade – the 1973 court choice that effectively struck down state abortion bans — or if the U.S. Constitution were amended to allow states to regulate the process, the AP/Sherman Denison Herald Democrat reports (Castro, AP/Sherman Denison Herald Democrat, 9/1). Seven states have trigger laws, and 12 states in the 2005-2006 legislative session introduced bills that would criminalize abortion, in accordance with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Most with the state legislatures this session adjourned with no final actions on the bills, but South Dakota passed a law (HB 1215) that bans abortion in the state except to save a pregnant woman’s life, and bans in Ohio and Tennessee still are under consideration (Kaiser Every day Women’s Well being Policy Report, 6/13). State Senate candidate Dan Patrick (R) — who said he believes the Supreme Court will overturn Roe — if elected stated he would file trigger-law legislation in case Roe is overturned, the AP/Herald Democrat reports. “It could take years to work through [the] political firestorm” if the decision is overturned, Patrick stated, adding, “I desire to have a law on the books as soon as the Supreme Court acts.” Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell on Friday said he would veto attempts to pre-emptively outlaw abortion inside the state if Roe is overturned. Based on independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman’s spokesperson Laura Stromberg, Friedman also would veto such legislation. Gov. Rick Perry’s (R) spokesperson, Robert Black, said that the governor supports efforts that “preserve the sanctity of life,” but added that it is “hard to comment on a specific bill that hasn’t even been written.” He added, “The governor would undoubtedly wish to see the bill.” Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn — who opposes abortion except in instances of rape, incest or to protect the life with the mother — didn’t comment (AP/Sherman Denison Herald Democrat, 9/1).
“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Day-to-day Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Every day Wellness Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service with the Henry J. Kaiser Family members Foundation . ? 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Household Foundation. All rights reserved.
health news | |