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Health Care

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The Big Story

Abortion shield laws are under fire

Red states are challenging them in the courts, while simultaneously pressing Congress to act.

A total of 15 GOP attorneys general signed and sent a letter to congressional leadership this week requesting federal action be taken to preempt abortion shield laws, arguing they interfere with states’ ability to enforce criminal laws.

The group of attorneys general also argues that Congress should get involved with shield laws because they potentially conflict with two Constitutional clauses: the “full faith and credit” clause and its extradition clause.

Abortion shield laws are state laws meant to protect abortion providers and patients from civil and criminal actions. There are currently 18 states, along with the District of Columbia, that have an abortion shield law, according to Rachel Rebouche, dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Shield laws in eight of those states protect abortion providers regardless of patient location—acting as a safeguard for abortion providers who send medication via telehealth.

The letter is the latest effort from Republican-led states to stop abortion pills from being shipped to parts of the country where the procedure is restricted.

Signees include Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R), both of whom have taken legal action against a New York doctor for allegedly prescribing and mailing abortion pills to women in their respective states.

Paxton sued the doctor—Margaret Carpenter—late last year for allegedly sending abortion pills to a patient in Texas, and a judge ordered her to pay more than $100,000 in penalties for violating the law.

A grand jury in Louisiana indicted Carpenter for allegedly doing the same thing, leading to state authorities requesting she be extradited.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has repeatedly said that she will not allow Carpenter to ever be extradited, citing the state’s shield law.

And a New York county clerk has refused to enforce Texas’s civil judgment, also citing the state’s shield law.

Separately, a Texas man is suing a California doctor for allegedly prescribing his girlfriend abortion medication. The lawsuit was filed in federal court, opening a new avenue for challenges to state shield laws, and could potentially give Republican-led states the win they want.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Essential Reads

How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

Canada has 3 times as many measles cases as US

Canada has had three times as many measles cases as the U.S. this year, according to the Canadian government and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Canada has faced 4,206 measles cases this year, according to a government website, with 1,450 in Alberta, 2,301 in Ontario and 140 in British Columbia. However, the government also said 3,878 of the total cases were confirmed. According to the CDC, there have …

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High Noon recalls vodka drinks mislabeled as Celsius

High Noon is recalling some of its vodka seltzer drinks because they were mislabeled as nonalcoholic Celsius energy drinks, according to a recall notice posted Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). High Noon is recalling two production lots of High Noon Beach Variety packs. Some of these 12-can packs have cans that are filled with High Noon vodka seltzer alcohol and are mislabeled as “CELSIUS® ASTRO VIBE™ Energy …

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Trump administration freezes more than $100M in federal funding for Duke

The Trump administration has frozen $108 million to Duke University just days after it launched an investigation into alleged race-based discrimination at the institution. The frozen funds from the National Institutes of Health will affect the Duke University School of Medicine, according to a senior administration official. The Hill has reached out to Duke for comment. The frozen funds come after the Education …

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In Other News

Branch out with a different read:

Fed holds rates steady but sees first double dissent in three decades

The Federal Reserve kept short-term interest rates at a level of 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent on Wednesday, but the vote saw the first double dissent from Fed board officials in more than 30 years. Nine members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) agreed to keep rates where they are.

Full Story

Around the Nation

Local and state headlines on health care:

Women have filed more than 60 percent of Colorado’s paid family and medical leave insurance claims (The Colorado Sun)
Texas Senate advances bill to ban THC—again (The Texas Tribune)
Gov. Walz declares “Medicaid and Medicare Day” in Minnesota, highlighting “cruel” impact of funding cuts (CBS)

What We’re Reading

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Tribal groups assert sovereignty as feds crack down on gender-affirming care (KFF Health News)
Dozens of state laws take aim at food dyes amid a wave of support for MAHA (NPR)
Top White House pandemic preparedness official resigns, officials say, in sign of broader disarray (Stat)