A Health Policy and Advocacy Update - September 2024 |
Thank you for your participation in the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s State Liaison Network (SLN). Our quarterly newsletter brings you the latest advocacy, policy, and public health updates, happenings, and actions from the Society.
|
|
|
STATE LIAISON NETWORK WEBINARS |
|
|
Countering Contraception Mis/Disinformation |
|
|
Speakers:
Please note: this webinar is for SMFM members only. |
|
|
RECORDING:
State of the Society: Policy Updates and Preparing for the 2024 Election Held on National Voter Registration Day, SMFM Advocacy staff provided federal and state updates related to abortion care and perinatal health, before discussing the 2024 election and our Get Out the Vote Initiative. |
|
|
Idaho – Dr. Stacy Seyb was interviewed and quoted in Salon.
Minnesota – Dr. Kylie Cooper was featured in the Atlantic. Ohio – Dr. David Hackney was interviewed and quoted in Salon. |
| |
|
Have you been advocating for reproductive and perinatal health in your state? Share your work with SMFM by emailing Samantha Berg at [email protected]. |
|
|
|
SMFM continues to submit friend of the court briefs to protect access to health care services critical to our mission. In August, we joined ACOG and other partners in a brief to the Montana Supreme Court outlining that abortion care is a safe and essential component of healthcare – we joined a similar brief earlier this month to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We also joined ACOG and SFP in a brief to the Arizona Supreme Court in support of the Arizona Abortion Access Act.
|
|
|
In addition to these briefs, SMFM also joined several partner organizations last month in a joint statement regarding the US Supreme Court Decisions on EMTALA and mifepristone in June. |
|
|
Most state legislatures are out of session and preparing for 2025. Below are the latest updates from over the summer. |
|
|
Perinatal health advancements -
IL HB 5282 enhances coverage for pregnancy and postpartum care. Specifically, requires coverage of treatment of mental, emotional, or substance use disorder for individuals experiencing miscarriage or stillbirth.
Celebrating abortion access wins
Earlier this month, a judge in North Dakota vacated the state’s abortion ban, ruling it unconstitutional. The ban was officially repealed on Thursday 9/26. However, the state's Attorney General is attempting to block this order and has asked a judge to keep the ban in place until the state Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in.
|
| |
|
Monitoring abortion bans and restrictions
Earlier this month, the Louisiana Department of Health issued guidance regarding Act 246, which revised the list of Schedule IV drugs to include misoprostol and mifepristone. The act will go into effect on October 1.
|
As of September 26, 2024, 21 states have abortion bans up to 20 weeks gestation currently or soon to be in effect: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
13 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) have total bans.
For up to date information on state abortion policies, see resources from Abortion Finder, Guttmacher Institute and the New York Times. You can also track pending state legislation alongside SMFM staff on our Advocacy Hub.
|
|
|
SMFM AND PARTNER RESOURCES |
|
|
|
Don't forget to utilize SMFM's Advocacy Hub! This is your one-stop shop for all things advocacy, providing all the information you need about SMFM’s advocacy priorities, activities and updates, and more. The Hub includes a state bill tracker that can help you monitor what is being proposed in your state, as well as an easy-to-use portal for you to request SMFM engagement and support for your advocacy efforts. You can also send your fellow SMFM members here to sign up for the State Liaison Network.
|
|
|
Guttmacher Institute Monthly Provision Study
Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Provision Study tracks monthly estimates of medication and procedural abortions provided within the formal US health care system. It currently shows monthly data for all of 2023 and is designed to help measure the impacts of abortion policies on state-level abortion incidence and trends
Society of Family Planning: New #WeCount Report
The latest #WeCount report, which includes data through March 2024, is now available to view and share! #WeCount is a collaborative abortion reporting effort, which documents the changing trends in abortion access, nationally and by state, during a dynamic period in abortion delivery. |
|
|
Please share any feedback or items for future newsletters directly with Samantha Berg,
SMFM's State Advocacy Manager ([email protected]) |
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
PO Box 420016, Washington, DC 20042-0016 |
|
|
|
