As we celebrate this International Women’s Day, it is important that we take time to reflect on the rapidly changing status of reproductive freedom in our country following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Yesterday, Florida Republicans introduced an extreme 6-week abortion ban in the state legislature, with the Republican supermajority making it almost certain […]
New Survey: Concern Over Abortion and Equal Rights Top Inflationby 22 Points as Main Drivers of Young Women’s Vote in Battleground States
A new Ms. magazine and Feminist Majority Foundation poll by Lake Research Partners across nine battleground states* finds that among young women voters, ages 18-29, abortion and women’s rights are the most important and highly motivating issues in determining their vote. And among women voters of all ages in battleground states, abortion and women’s rights […]
Kansans Kill Restrictive Abortion Initiative
On August 2, Kansas voters whether to amend the state constitution to say it does not include a right to abortion. Nearly 60 percent voted against the measure, affirming that a majority of Kansans support abortion access. The measure was part of a primary ballot, which are closed in Kansas. Registered Republicans far outnumber Democrats […]
President Biden Signs Executive Order to Protect Traveling for Abortion Care
With continuous restrictions and bans on abortion across the country, the need to travel for abortion care has risen astronomically. Additionally, certain states have tried to further restrict access to reproductive healthcare by hindering cross-state traveling for abortions in any way they can. To combat these restrictions, President Biden has signed an Executive Order tasking […]
Department of Justice Sues Idaho over Abortion Restrictions
The Biden administration filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the state of Idaho for restricting abortion access for patients who need lifesaving medical treatment. This is the first Justice Department challenge since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this summer. The suit challenges Idaho Code § 18-622 (§ 18-622), which imposes a near-total ban […]
Two New Telehealth Services Launch for U.S. Patients Since June
Abortion access is in crisis in nearly every state, regardless of its laws. States with abortion bans are forcing women to travel out-of-state or else carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. States affirming abortion care are absorbing unprecedented numbers of patients. As clinic wait times grow, telehealth medical abortions are an integral pillar of reproductive […]
Committee on Oversight and Reform Hosts Dobbs Hearing
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 — Rep Carolyn B. Maloney of New York’s 12th district and Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform hosted a hearing focused on the impacts on those living in states which have already banned or restricted access to abortion in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson […]
Two Abortion Protection Bills Advance to Senate
The House passed legislation to codify abortion access on July 15. The Women’s Health Protection Act prohibits pre-viability and telehealth abortion bans. Henry Cueller (D-CA) was the only Representative to break party lines in the 219-210 vote. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) abstained. The House and Senate sponsors are Judy Chu (D-CA) and […]
Only 8 Republicans Vote Yes for Birth Control Protections
On Thursday, the House passed the Right to Contraception Act by a 228-195 margin. It establishes the right to birth control access and drew just 8 Republican votes. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Brain Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), John Katko (R-NY), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Maria Salazar (R-FL) and Fred Upton (R-MI) represented the […]
Record-Breaking Number of Reproductive Health Ballot Initiatives
This November, voters will decide on reproductive access amendments in six states—the highest number ever for abortion-related ballot initiatives. Three restrict access, while the other three are the first proposals supported by pro-choice organizers since 1992. Restrive abortion amendments have been regularly circulated since 1982. Here are the 2022 ballot measures: Initiatives on the 2022 […]
Abortion Providers, Patients Testify at House Hearing
The American Medical Association has been trying to give abortion providers medical, moral, and legal direction since Roe v. Wade was overturned. “At this point,” AMA president Jack Resneck told the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, “we have more questions than answers.” Rep. Dianne DeGette (D-CO) chaired the hearing, which heard testimony from […]
Interstate Travel Abortion Protections
Lawmakers in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas are considering legislation to ban residents from seeking or helping to provide out-of-state abortions. Fourteen governors have preemptively prohibited government agencies and employees from cooperating with other states’ abortion investigation cases. This includes providing time, money, information, or other resources to states banning people from receiving […]
Biden Issues Executive Order to Protect Reproductive Healthcare
“The only way to secure a woman’s right to choose is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe as federal law,” a statement from the White House said today. “Until then, he has committed to doing everything in his power to defend reproductive rights and protect access to safe and legal abortion.” President Biden […]
Tragic and Cruel: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade today in a 5-4 decision. Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal and Feminist Majority Executive Director Katherine Spillar released the following statement: “Today’s Supreme Court tragic and cruel decision to overturn Roe v Wade is catastrophic and endangers the lives and futures of millions of women and girls, especially poor […]
Texas Supreme Court Ends Federal Court Challenge to State’s Abortion Ban
The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that abortion providers can’t sue state officials to block Senate Bill 8, which bans abortion at roughly six-weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest. The unanimous decision closed the narrow pathway to challenge the law left open by the U.S. Supreme Court last December after the […]
“The Equal Rights Amendment Has Been Ratified. It Is the Law”: U.S. House Resolution Declares ERA 28th Amendment
by Carrie N. Baker for Ms. Magazine In an opinion issued on Wednesday, Jan. 26, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) helped clear the way for the Equal Rights Amendment, according to leading ERA advocates. In January of 2020, under Trump, the OLC issued an opinion arguing that Congress had no power to remove a […]
Supreme Court Issues Another Procedural Blow to Texas Abortion Advocates
This Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Texas abortion providers again in the on-going legal battle over the state’s controversial six-week ban, S.B. 8. This week’s decision was made regarding the issue of sending the case back to the original trial judge, an attempt by abortion advocates to move their challenge to the law […]
New Year’s Eve Fire at Knoxville Planned Parenthood Ruled Arson
The fire that destroyed a Knoxville Planned Parenthood clinic on New Year’s Eve was ruled as “intentionally set” by the Knoxville Fire Department yesterday. According to the department, they were assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in conducting their investigation and have “determined the fire to have been purposely set by an […]
Supreme Court Delivers Another Blow Against Abortion Rights
Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block a clearly unconstitutional abortion ban in Texas, leaving in place S.B. 8, which bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The Court’s ruling substantially narrows options to challenge the law in federal court, and there is no fast option for a Texas Supreme Court ruling […]
The Supreme Court Must Not Reward Anti-Abortion Violence
by Christian F. Nunes and Eleanor Smeal Political violence as a tool for achieving political goals is on the rise, particularly when it comes to abortion. We’ve seen this before with S.B. 8 in Texas, a law that codifies vigilante anti-abortion extremism, and we’re seeing it again with the Mississippi abortion ban case, Dobbs v. Jackson […]
