Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Dems irked as GOP rivals tout ‘pro-choice’ positionsA handful of Republican candidates running for competitive Democrat-leaning congressional seats have adopted “pro-choice” stances, as they try to separate themselves from the GOP’s hardline anti-abortion history. © APDemocrats are accusing the Republicans of deceiving voters and redefining what the term means.   Abortion has become political poison for the Republican Party ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. GOP vice-presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) said as much in his debate against Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) this week.  “My party, we've got to do so much better of a job at earning the American People's trust back on [abortion] where they frankly just don't trust us,” Vance said, sticking to the Trump campaign’s state’s rights approach.   The GOP candidates who say they’re pro-choice: In California, Republican Matt Gunderson who’s challenging Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) announced last month, “I am pro-choice. I believe abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.”  Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) also said last month that he was pro-choice and went as far as to say he believed former President Trump is “functionally pro-choice.” Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, the Republican nominee for Senate in the state, also called himself pro-choice shortly after he won the primary. Their Democratic opponents, however, are less than convinced.  Levin told The Hill that his opponent is “trying to deceive people” by labeling himself “pro-choice.”  “I don’t really think you can be pro-choice if you believe states should have the right to ban all abortions. Those two things are just not consistent,” said Levin.   Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, running against Hogan in Maryland, has argued the former governor’s party affiliation works against him, telling the The Associated Press, “There will never be a vote as to whether or not we should codify Roe in federal law if the Republicans are in the majority.”   Read more from The Hill’s Emily Brooks here. .  Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:  Joy Behar slams Melania Trump over abortion remarks: ‘It’s a big scam’“The View” co-host Joy Behar said Thursday she doesn’t buy Melania Trump’s pro-choice stance, which the former First Lady touted this week in promotions for her new memoir. “Sixty-two percent of Americans oppose overthrowing Roe v. Wade, 62 percent, the Republican Party knows this. I think they put her up to this. I think it’s a big scam. They put her out there, you know, as the face of, like, the American population …  Full Story  Flu vaccine efficacy against hospitalization may be lower this season: CDCEarly estimates on the effectiveness of this year’s flu vaccines indicate they may be less effective at preventing hospitalization than in years past, based on data from South America, where the annual flu season occurs earlier. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu shot appeared to be 34.5 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations this year in Argentina, Brazil, …  Full Story  DEA warns of illegal online pharmacies selling pills with fentanyl, meth The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Friday warned of an increase in illegal online pharmacies selling counterfeit pills made with fentanyl and methamphetamine. “As Americans increasingly turn to online pharmacies to purchase necessary medications, DEA is issuing this Public Safety Alert to warn of an increase in illegal online, often foreign-based websites that are deceptively targeting American consumers,” …  Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: State Health Department amps up free naloxone distribution (Mississippi Today)  'We're flexible': New York leaders eye leeway in home care program changes (Spectrum News)  A second N.H. resident has died of EEE, state health officials confirm (NBC Boston)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Trump leads, and his party follows, on vaccine skepticism (KFF Health News)  Benefits of adding fluoride to water may be waning (NBC News)  IV fluid supplies dwindle as Helene closes N.C. manufacturing plant (The Washington Post)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Pilot flying Helene rescue missions in NC threatened with arrest The fire official told him to tell any other pilots he knew they would also be arrested if they came back. Read more White House bashes GOP ‘lies’ about FEMA funds The White House bashed Republicans on Friday for what it argues are lies about the Hurricane Helene federal response effort. The White House focused … Read more  You're all caught up. See you next week!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Health Care newsletter Subscribe