The Virginia General Assembly is positioned to pass a bill eliminating numerous abortion restrictions and allowing physician’s assistants, nurses, and nurse midwives to perform first-trimester abortions, a major expansion of abortion access in the state. The House passed HB 980 on Tuesday, and the Senate is preparing for a vote on parallel legislation. The bill […]
Ohio Senate Introduces Bill Banning Telemedicine Abortion
On January 21st, the Ohio Senate introduced a bill, State Senate Bill 260, which would ban telemedicine abortions, following the lead of 18 states that currently ban this abortion procedure. Telemedicine abortion occurs when there is not a clinician on staff when a patient visits a health center, and the patient would have a video […]
Trump Administration Reinstates Texas Medicaid Funding, Allows Planned Parenthood Exclusion
Texas will regain federal Medicaid funding for its state family planning program despite refusing to reinstate Planned Parenthood’s coverage, a move which threatens to embolden attacks on Planned Parenthood in other states. Texas lost its Title X federal funding under the Obama administration in 2012 after removing Planned Parenthood and other “affiliates of abortion providers” […]
Delaware Man Charged after Allegedly Throwing Molotov cocktail at Planned Parenthood Clinic
A Delaware man has been arrested and charged with federal crimes after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Delaware Planned Parenthood clinic last Friday night. 18-year-old Samuel James Gulick has been charged with maliciously damaging a building with fire or a destructive device and intentionally damaging a facility that provides reproductive health services. If […]
Court Strikes Down Mississippi Law Banning Abortion After 15 Weeks
This past Friday a federal appeals court found Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks unconstitutional. The ban was blocked from taking effect in 2018 after Jackson Women’s Health Organization—the only abortion clinic in Mississippi—sued the state. The fight came down to the argument that there is no medical evidence that proves a fetus is […]
House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing On State Reproductive Health Care Access
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a congressional hearing on November 14, 2019 to examine state efforts to undermine access to reproductive health care. Led by Acting Chairwoman Maloney, the committee examined “how states, emboldened by the Trump Administration’s sustained and systematic attacks on reproductive health care, are restricting access, and it will […]
Federal Judge Strikes Down Rule Allowing Clinicians to Refuse Abortion Care for Moral or Religious Reasons
A federal judge in New York on Wednesday struck down a new Trump administration rule that would allow health care clinicians to refuse to provide medical services, such as abortions, to patients for moral or religious reasons. United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York rejected the rule on […]
Missouri’s State Health Department Tracked Patients’ Periods in an Attempt to Identify Failed Abortions
Missouri’s top health official testified Tuesday that the state health department kept a spreadsheet monitoring detailed personal information about Planned Parenthood patients, tracking patient’s menstrual cycles with the aim of identifying those who had failed abortions — news that has raised questions about patient privacy violations. The spreadsheet included patients’ medical identification numbers, dates of […]
In Mixed Ruling Virginia Court Upholds Two Abortion Laws, Overturns Two Others
On Monday, a federal judge gave a mixed ruling on Virginia abortion laws, overturning two restrictive laws, but upholding two. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ruled on the case that challenged four Virginia laws that restrict abortion access, commonly known as TRAP laws, or targeted restrictions on abortion providers. Hudson overturned two laws, one […]
Moroccan Journalist Arrested for Alleged Abortion
Prominent Moroccan Journalist, Hajar Raissouni and her fiancé, Rifaat al-Amin are currently on trial for having pre-marital sex and an abortion, both considered criminal offenses in Morocco. The medical team accused of performing the abortion is also on trial; Dr. Mohammad Jamal Belkeziz could face up to 10 years in prison. Despite accusations by authorities, […]
OR Exits Title X Program Due To Abortion Restrictions
Oregon’s public health agency said Tuesday that it will withdraw from the Title X program and no longer use federal funds for reproductive health clinics due to the Trump administration’s restrictions on abortion care, making it the third state to leave the program since last week. The Oregon Health Authority sent a letter to the […]
Chicago Man Arrested After Threatening to Attack Abortion Clinic on Social Media
19-year-old Farhan Sheikh was arrested in Chicago on Monday after making threats on social media to attack patients and doctors at an abortion clinic this coming Friday. Sheikh posted the threats on iFunny, a meme sharing app that is becoming a hot spot for right-wing extremists and white supremacists. He was taken into custody by […]
Planned Parenthood Announces Impending Withdrawal from Title X Program
Planned Parenthood says that it will withdraw from Title X just days from now unless a federal court intervenes to save their Title X funding. Due to the Trump administration’s “domestic gag” rule Title X recipients are prevented from performing, counseling, or referring patients to abortion services and providers, primarily affecting low-income patients seeking family […]
Doctor Prescribing Fake Abortion-Reversal Pill Shown to be Lying about Credentials
Last Thursday, an expository report by The Guardian revealed that Doctor George Delgado has been falsely claiming an affiliation with University of California San Diego medical school (UCSD) while he has been prescribing medication that he claimed would reverse a medication abortion. Despite UCSD requesting that he stop affiliating himself with the university one year […]
Federal Judge in Arkansas Delays Enforcement of Three Anti-Abortion Laws
Last week, U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a two-week restraining order, effectively delaying the enforcement of three laws restricting abortion access in Arkansas. In the opinion, the Court found that “the threat of irreparable harm to plaintiffs and the public interest, outweighs the immediate interests and potential injuries to the defendant.” The lawsuit was […]
HHS Awards $1.5 Million in Funding to Anti-Choice Organizations
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded approximately 1.5 million dollars in teen pregnancy prevention funding to three anti-choice organizations, Obria Group, the Women’s Care Center of Erie County, and Bethany Christian Services. All three groups are known to have a history of misrepresenting sexual health information, and two of the […]
Trump Administration Delays Enforcement of Title X Abortion Restriction
On Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent out a notice to federally funded family planning clinics, stating that clinics would be given extra time to comply with a Trump administration rule announced last week that eliminated Title X funding for clinics that provide abortion referrals. The notice stated that the government […]
Dr. Leana Wen Removed as Planned Parenthood’s President
After less than a year on the job, Dr Leanna Wen M.D. has been removed from her position as Planned Parenthood’s president. Per the statement released by Dr. Wen, the ousting occurred after disagreements between Dr. Wen and Planned Parenthood’s board on the direction of the organization following the severe blows from the far right […]
Parliament Votes to Protect Same-Sex Marriage and Abortion in Northern Ireland
Last week, U.K. members of parliament (MPs) voted to extend same-sex marriage and abortion rights in Northern Ireland via two measures that will go into effect as long as the regional government in Northern Ireland remains defunct. The Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Ann Furedi, told CNN that Tuesday’s vote on abortion […]
Oklahoma Judge Upholds Ban on Second-Trimester Abortions
The Center for Reproductive Rights has vowed to take an Oklahoma abortion-ban to the state Supreme Court after an Oklahoma district judge upheld a law banning second-trimester abortion procedures last Friday. The Oklahoma Supreme Court has previously rejected multiple anti-abortion bills similar to this ban. The Center for Reproductive Rights challenged the Oklahoma law after […]
