Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Together, We Are Going To #StopTheBans': 2020 Dems Join Protesters Rallying Against Abortion Laws
Democratic presidential candidates rallied on the steps of the Supreme Court Tuesday against a rash of state abortion bans they say have been encouraged by President Trump and his administration.聽... A large crowd of abortion rights protestors held signs reading 鈥渁bortion is a human right鈥 and 鈥減rotect safe, legal abortion" as attendees loudly cheered on Gillibrand and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). (Hellmann, 5/21)
Former Vice President Joe Biden聽believes Congress must move to enshrine abortion rights into federal law聽following several controversial聽bills passed by state legislatures around the country,聽his presidential campaign team confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday. "Vice President Biden firmly believes that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land and should not be overturned," a campaign spokesperson said in a statement. "Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri are passing extreme laws in order to prevent a woman to be able to have an abortion under virtually any circumstance. Roe v. Wade lays out a constitutional guarantee that a woman can, in fact, make a choice between she and her doctor. Biden believes that codifying Roe through legislation must be pursued." (Conradis, 5/21)
Republicans hoping to paint Democrats as extreme on abortion are facing a major obstacle in the wake of Alabama鈥檚 restrictive new law. Democratic presidential candidates are seizing on the state鈥檚 ban, which has no exemptions for rape and incest, arguing that it shows President Trump and Republicans are the ones who are out of step with average Americans, and that they want to make abortion illegal at all costs. (Hellmann, 5/22)
Dozens of abortion-rights activists gathered at the state Capitol in Phoenix Tuesday morning as part of a nationwide effort to protest laws placing extreme restrictions on abortion recently adopted in some states. Carrying signs and chanting, activists gathered on the lawn to listen to speakers and stand in opposition to the bans happening across the country. (Hudson, 5/21)
Hundreds of people gathered on and near the Capitol steps Tuesday to support abortion rights, part of a nationwide response to laws passed in other states recently that ban nearly all abortions, or severely restrict them. ... Other speakers urged the demonstrators to be politically active and to vote for candidates supporting abortion-rights and reject those who oppose them. (Williams and Nguyen, 5/21)
Abortion-rights advocates are holding rallies across the country Tuesday, protesting a wave of laws passed by states in recent weeks to severely restrict access to abortions. Organizers include the ACLU, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and NARAL Pro-Choice America. (Wamsley, 5/21)