Planned Parenthood Chapter Gears Up For Defunding Battle

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland plans to launch an extensive lobbying campaign against Republicans' attempts to block funding from the organization. Meanwhile, advocates in Texas are concerned state lawmakers will continue to chip away at abortion rights.

Des Moines Register: Planned Parenthood Plots Strategy To Avert Defunding In Iowa

As Republican lawmakers make plans to block government funding of Planned Parenthood, Iowa leaders of the family-planning organization are pledging a statewide lobbying initiative and are warning that women's health care is in jeopardy. Abortion opponents across the United States are calling for an end to state and federal funding for Planned Parenthood, saying the private agency's involvement in abortion should make it ineligible for public financing. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has said about one-fourth of its Iowa financing, or nearly $2.7 million per year, comes from public sources. Most of that money comes from programs under Medicaid, which is jointly financed by federal and state governments. No public money is used for abortions, the organization says. (Petroski, 1/6)

Texas Tribune: Texas Reproductive Rights Groups Brace For Legislative Session

Reproductive rights advocates have expressed concern that Lone Star State lawmakers will take bolder steps in the upcoming session to defund abortion providers and dismantle access to abortion, birth control and other sexual health services. They're also worried President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress could take similar actions at the federal level, such as this week's announcement by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan that federal lawmakers would look at defunding Planned Parenthood. (Evans, 1/6)

And in other news —

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Abortion Foes Seek Ban After 12 Weeks

Abortion opponents in Wisconsin are seeking to outlaw the main set of procedures used to end pregnancies after the 12th week, the latest in a series of moves aimed at limiting the practice in this state. Wisconsin Right to Life has made banning the procedures its top priority, calling them particularly cruel because they can lead to a fetus being removed from a uterus in pieces during an abortion. Opponents of the ban say doctors rely on the procedure when a pregnant women or fetus experiences medical challenges in the second trimester. (Stein, 1/7)

CQ Roll Call: Under Obama, Abortion Rate Falls To 45-Year Low

The abortion rate in 2013 was lower than in any year since 1971, two years before the Supreme Court legalized abortion in its Roe v. Wade decision, according to the latest findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its November report pegged the rate at 12.5 per 1,000 women, aged 15-44. The rate, which was 15.8 per 1,000 women in 2008, has declined in each year of the Obama administration. The rate dropped 5 percent between 2012 and 2013. (Zeller, 1/9)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription