Among the costs abortion clinics have to carry: security to protect staff and patients; airfare to get doctors to areas lacking trained physicians willing to perform abortions; higher rates for contractors concerned about protesters and boycotts; more stringent loan terms; insurance that can be canceled unexpectedly; and for some clinic owners, legal fees for defending the constitutionality of the procedure.
Bloomberg: Abortion Clinics Are The Most Challenging Small Business In America
Less than four years after Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt was decided, her day-to-day work is at least as challenging as it was before. The abortion tax has gone up, with new barriers that hurt clinics’ bottom lines. Protests have increased in number, and providers are struggling to offer a medical procedure that’s been legal in the U.S. since 1973 and whose legality 7 in 10 adults support, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study. Clinic owners across the country describe a business environment that’s curtailing their ability to operate. (Koons and Greenfield, 2/27)
In other news —
The Associated Press: Virginia Lawmakers Pass Bills Easing Abortion Restrictions
Abortion restrictions that were enacted when Republicans controlled Virginia’s General Assembly are being undone in legislation approved by the Democrats who are now in charge. The House on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would roll back provisions including a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion and a requirement that women seeking an abortion undergo an ultrasound and counseling. (2/27)
Kaiser Health News: High Court Revisits Abortion Law Akin To One Struck Down In 2016
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is set to hear an abortion case that may sound familiar. That’s because the state restriction in question is almost identical to one the court overturned in 2016. At the heart of the current case, June Medical Services LLC et al. v. Russo, is a Louisiana law passed in 2014 that requires doctors who perform abortions in the state to have “admitting privileges” at a hospital no more than 30 miles from the clinic where the abortion is performed. (Rovner, 2/28)
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