Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo signed the Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA) into law, a monumental moment for the protection of abortion rights in the state. The bill codifies the privacy rights that were established in Roe v. Wade, meaning that if Roe were to be overturned on the federal level, citizens of Rhode Island would […]
Injunction Granted; Last Clinic in Missouri Remains Open for Now
Monday, a Missouri circuit court judge granted Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region a preliminary injunction, allowing the clinic to continue providing abortion services; this injunction will keep Missouri’s last clinic that provides abortion services to remain open for the time being. The judge ordered Missouri’s Department of Health and […]
Wisconsin Senate Passes Restrictive Anti-Abortion Legislation
Last week, the Wisconsin Senate approved four anti-abortion bills that outlaw abortion in cases where the fetus has been or may be diagnosed with a congenital disorder, empower the Department of Health Services to decertify any private abortion provider under the Medical Assistance program, and require doctors to inform patients taking their first dose of […]
House Subcommittee Convened for a Hearing on the “Threats to Reproductive Rights in America”
On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties convened for a hearing on the “Threats to Reproductive Rights in America,” specifically focusing on abortion access in light of the abortion bans passed in Georgia, Louisiana, and Alabama earlier this year, all of which severely restrict people’s ability to have safe […]
Missouri’s Last Abortion Provider may Close Today
Missouri may become the first state without a clinic that provides abortion services after the Missouri health department refused to renew Planned Parenthood’s license to perform abortions, which expires today. The license expires because of what Planned Parenthood argues are politically motivated and arbitrary regulations targeted at the clinic and Planned Parenthood is suing the […]
Supreme Court Agrees to a Compromise on Indiana’s Anti-Abortion Law
Today, the Supreme Court agreed to a compromise regarding a restrictive Indiana anti-abortion, upholding part of the law that regulates the disposal of fetal remains while dismissing an appeal to reinstate the part of the law that banned abortions on the basis of fetal characteristics. The court’s decision argued that regulating fetal remains “does not […]
Anti-Abortion Constitutional Amendment will be on Louisiana’s Ballot this Fall
On Tuesday, the Louisiana Senate passed a bill (HB 425) that would allow Louisiana voters to decide whether or not to change the state’s constitution to further restrict abortion access at the ballot box this October. The passage of HB 425, also known as the “Love Life Amendment,” means that a constitutional amendment containing explicit […]
Maloney and Bonamici Introduce the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Healthcare Services Act
Today, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Rep. Suzanna Bonamici (D-OR) introduced legislation called the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Healthcare Services Act to combat fake pregnancy centers and false advertisement of reproductive and family planning services. “No one should have to question that the person they are seeking medical advice from is actually a doctor […]
Alabama Seeks to Outlaw Abortions and Criminalize Doctors
This week, the Alabama state house passed the most restrictive anti-abortion bill in the nation that bans abortion, even in cases of rape and/or incest, unless the woman’s life is in danger, and makes performing an abortion a felony. Doctors that do perform abortions can be sentenced to up to 99 years in prison. It […]
Ohio Implements Unconstitutional Six Week Abortion Ban
Ohio has officially banned abortions after 5-6 weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. The law will make an exception to save a woman’s life, however no exceptions for cases of rape and incest. It will take effect in 90 days unless blocked by a federal judge. The law also creates […]
Alabama Introduces Bill to Outlaw Almost All Abortions in the State
Alabama legislators introduced the most severe anti-abortion bill in the country on Tuesday that would ban abortions upon knowledge of pregnancy and make performing an abortion at any stage of a pregnancy a felony. The bill, HB314, would ban all abortions as soon as a woman is “known to be pregnant,” only giving exception if […]
Ohio Terminates State Funding For Planned Parenthood
On Thursday, the Ohio Department of Health(ODH) notified Planned Parenthood locations all across the state that they would no longer be receiving funding starting next month, due to a 2016 state law that was upheld earlier this month by a federal appeals court. The law forbids the state from providing funding to any affiliations that […]
Six-week Abortion Ban Bill Passes Mississippi Senate
On Tuesday, Mississippi senators passed, by vote 34-15, a 6-week abortion ban bill, which bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. If a physician performs an abortion before checking if there is a fetal heartbeat, or performs an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, the physician could have their medical license […]
Alabama Court Allows Man to Sue Abortion Clinic, Recognizing Fetal Personhood
An Alabama man, Ryan Magers, is suing a reproductive health center as well as the manufacturer of the pill his ex-girlfriend used to end her six-week pregnancy, after a probate court judge granted his petition and recognized the full legal rights of a fetus. Magers’ lawyer claims his lawsuit may be the first U.S. court […]
Trump Administration Imposes Domestic Gag Rule
The Trump administration is implementing a policy that prevents clinics that provide abortion counseling and referrals from receiving Title X Family Planning Program funding, funding that provides birth control, STD tests, cervical and breast cancer screenings, and reproductive health care to low-income and uninsured individuals. Under Title X, federal dollars already cannot directly fund abortion […]
Anti-Abortion Attack Forces Abortion Services Clinic to Relocate
Last Thursday, Whole Woman’s Health, an abortion clinic located in North Austin, Texas, closed its doors after a faith-based pregnancy center, Austin LifeCare, bought out their lease in an attempt to prevent abortion access. This is the second time an organization has tried to buy their lease out from under them, but previously Whole Women’s […]
Iowa State Will Not Seek Appeal to Fetal Heartbeat Court Ruling
Governor Reynolds of Iowa stated Monday that the government will not seek an appeal after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the “fetal heartbeat” law passed last May was unconstitutional. This unconstitutional law, if had it gone into effect, would have been one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the United States. Those against […]
Supreme Court puts Temporary hold on Louisiana Anti-abortion Law
Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled in favor of placing a temporary hold on Louisiana’s abortion law which requires abortion providers to have hospital privileges at a local hospital. In a tight ruling, 5-4, the Supreme Court set the block in place for a week. This is, however, only a small victory for abortion advocates as […]
Fifth Circuit Upheld an Anti-Abortion Louisiana Law, Despite SCOTUS Precedent
The Center for Reproductive Rights has filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, after the Fifth Circuit upheld the law despite Supreme Court precedent, to prevent an extremely restrictive anti-abortion Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges from going into effect on Feb. 4th; the law would leave only one abortion doctor […]
Safe Online Abortion Access Now Available in the US
Women in the United States can now order safe abortion pills online through the organization Women on the Web, allowing women to medically induce their own abortions at home. The organization performs online consultations, fills prescriptions, and ships the pills to women in countries that legally allow abortions, and studies have determined that the service […]
