Health Care — Michigan judge blocks abortion ban enforcement

In case you need to be reminded, Martin Short is still one of the funniest comedians around. The man managed to fit a hundred jokes into five minutes of airtime and even The Fonz approves. 

Today in health care, abortion will remain legal in Michigan for the foreseeable future after a key court ruling. 

Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan, Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Judge stops enforcement of abortion ban 

A Michigan judge Friday blocked county prosecutors from enforcing a 91-year-old law banning abortion in the state while courts consider a lawsuit seeking to overturn the law. 

The takeaway: The ruling means abortion will remain legal in Michigan for the foreseeable future. The 1931 law bans abortion for all women, doesn’t include exceptions for rape or incest and calls for the prosecution of reproductive care providers.   

The ruling comes after the state Court of Appeals earlier this month cleared a path for county prosecutors to enforce the 1931 law by ruling they were not covered by a May order. 

• “It is clear to the Court that only one group is harmed by this statute- women and people capable of carrying children,” Oakland County Judge Jacob Cunningham said during his ruling.   
• The 1931 abortion ban doesn’t pass constitutional muster, he said. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) requested the temporary restraining order to block prosecutors from enforcing the law, which was triggered when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wadedecisionin June. 

Stay tuned: Voters could ultimately decide the fate of abortion in Michigan through a ballot initiative seeking to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s constitution. 

Read more here.  

Bill would make gender-affirming care a felony

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a bill Friday that would make providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender minors a felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison. 

The measure would prohibit using federal funds for gender-affirming health care, including in Affordable Healthcare Act plans. 

• “When it comes to ‘gender-affirming care,’ which is really child abuse, this is actually an assault and it’s child abuse,” Greene said Thursday evening during an appearance on Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” 
• “This practice should never happen,” Greene told host Tucker Carlson. “It’s so disgusting and appalling … this needs to be illegal.” 

What it does: Greene’s “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” outlaws more than a dozen medical interventions and procedures used to treat gender dysphoria in transgender…