Sunday notes: Some stories we missed

An exciting documentary about George Michaels aired in the New Yorker

Some other interesting notes

• The Associated Press reports that a federal appeals court paused enforcement of a federal regulation that allows abortion providers to receive family planning funds. That only applies to the state of Ohio, however. President Joe Biden had made the funds available to abortion providers. Several state attorney generals across the country challenged his decision. 

• The New Republic wrote a good summary of the Supreme Court’s impending cases about abortion. On Dec. 8, it’s expected to decide on whether to permit certain medications used for abortions. Additionally, there are legal challenges to an Idaho law and one that would allow antiabortion activists to harass women who approach abortion clinics. 

• California is launching the Reproductive Health Service Corps to increase and diversify the reproductive health care workforce to better serve all communities and the Pharmacists Comprehensive Abortion and Reproductive Health Empowerment (Pharmacists CARE) Initiative to support training pharmacists to provide reproductive care.

• There’s a fascinating documentary about Assemblyman George Michaels, who cast the deciding vote in favor of a law that was the first to legalize abortion in New York. It appeared in the New Yorker. In a rare exhibit of courage, Michaels changed his vote, knowing that he would lose his career when voting for it.