May 31, 2019

Judge temporarily allows Missouri's only abortion clinic to continue operations

Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

A St. Louis judge ruled on Friday to temporarily block Missouri from preventing the state's only Planned Parenthood from performing abortions, reports NBC, keeping the clinic open through next Tuesday.

Why it matters: Had Planned Parenthood failed to win a temporary restraining order, Missouri would have been the first state since 1973 — when the Roe v. Wade ruling was made —without a single abortion clinic, per NBC. The solo Planned Parenthood was set to cease all abortion operations at midnight on Friday. However, the block is only in place until a resolution can be reached at a hearing next Tuesday.

"We could face a situation tomorrow where 1.1 million women of reproductive age in Missouri will no longer be able to access abortion care, which is essential health care, in their own state,"

— Dr. Leana Wen, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America told MSNBC

The backdrop: Missouri has waged an aggressive battle against abortion, banning the precedure after 8 weeks last week. Planned Parenthood argues that the state's health department "is refusing to renew" its St. Louis clinic's license in an attempt to shut it down.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. EST: 32,135,220 — Total deaths: 981,660 — Total recoveries: 22,149,441 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m EST: 6,975,980 — Total deaths: 202,738 — Total recoveries: 2,710,183 — Total tests: 98,481,026 — Map.
Politics: House Democrats prepare new $2.4 trillion coronavirus relief package.
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Science: Global coronavirus vaccine initiative launches without U.S. or China — During COVID-19 shutdown, a common sparrow changed its song.

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Pac-12 will play football this fall, reversing course

A view of Levi's Stadium during the 2019 Pac-12 Championship football game. Photo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images

The Pac-12, which includes universities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington state, will play football starting Nov. 6, reversing its earlier decision to postpone the season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters: The conference's about-face follows a similar move by the Big Ten last week and comes as President Trump has publicly pressured sports to resume despite the ongoing pandemic. The Pac-12 will play a seven-game conference football season, according to ESPN.

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Dave Lawler, author of World

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Global coronavirus vaccine initiative launches without U.S. or China

Data: Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; Map: Naema Ahmed/Axios

A global initiative to ensure equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines now includes most of the world — but not the U.S., China or Russia.

Why it matters: Assuming one or more vaccines ultimately gain approval, there will be a period of months or even years in which supply lags far behind global demand. The COVAX initiative is an attempt to ensure doses go where they're most needed, rather than simply to countries that can produce or buy them at scale.

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