In the 2022 election, Michigan, California, and Vermont voters successfully passed abortion protection referendums, while Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana voters rejected anti-abortion ballot measures. This outcome proved to abortion advocates that it is possible to prevent abortion restrictions from spreading across the nation post-Roe. Currently, there are 12 pro-abortion referendums in various stages of the […]
Pennsylvania Equal Rights Amendment Provides Win for Abortion Access
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court released an opinion on abortion rights following a long legal battle in Allegheny Reproductive Health Center et al. v. PA Department of Human Services et al. The case, litigated by the Women’s Law Project under the leadership of Susan Frietsche, centered around the state statute that bans Pennsylvania’s Medicaid […]
President Biden hosts Restore Roe rally in Virginia
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a “Restore Roe” rally in Manassas, Virginia on Tuesday, signifying the importance of abortion rights in the 2024 election cycle. They were joined by their spouses, First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who spoke first as they rallied for the restoration and protection […]
The 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade
January 22nd should be a day to celebrate Roe v. Wade’s landmark ruling and look back on how far abortion rights have come in the United States. Instead, we find ourselves in unprecedented times where the right to an abortion is being challenged across the country. 15 states have now passed extremely restrictive abortion laws […]
Supreme Court Allows Enforcement of Idaho’s Abortion Ban, Pending April Hearing
The U.S. Supreme Court released a brief order late last week that allows Idaho to continue to enforce its near-total abortion ban, even in medical emergencies. The ruling is a response to an effort from the Biden administration to ensure additional abortion access in hospitals located in states with bans. The Court also agreed to hear […]
Ohio woman will not face criminal charges following miscarriage
Brittany Watts, a 34-year-old woman from Ohio, found herself at the center of a controversial legal battle and faced potential indictment for a fifth-degree felony of “abuse of a corpse” after miscarrying a nonviable fetus at home. Watts’ arrest in October 2023 sent shockwaves through the reproductive rights movement, raising questions about the implications of […]
New Year, New Laws on Gender and Abortion
As we celebrate the beginning of 2024, many states are kicking off the new year with new laws going into effect, many focused on gender and abortion rights. There was a record-breaking number of anti-LGBTQ legislation introduced by Republican state legislators in 2023, with the American Civil Liberties Union recording at least 508 bills targeting […]
The Future of Abortion Access: Supreme Court Takes on Mifepristone Regulations
On Dec. 13th, the Supreme Court decided to take up the case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, regarding mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill, and its accessibility. The issue centers around a lower court decision challenging recent FDA changes allowing telemedicine appointments and mail prescriptions for the drug. The Supreme Court will hear the […]
Texas woman sues the state for the right to an abortion
Source: Guttmacher Institute The Center for Reproductive Rights has been representing Kate Cox in an emergency lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order on Texas abortion bans in order to terminate her pregnancy. The morning of December 7th, a judge granted their request to allow Cox access to the reproductive healthcare that she needs, without […]
Tuberville ends his blockade of military promotions
After almost ten months of blocking military promotions in protest of abortion access, Senator Tommy Tuberville has finally backed down. Tuberville’s blockade drew harsh criticism from both sides of the political aisle as over 400 military officers were prevented from receiving their promotions. Global threats, from Russia to the war in Israel and Palestine, continued […]
Abortion activists look to 2024 to continue their winning streak
Ohio college students organized for Issue 1 As Ohio became the 7th state in a row to protect reproductive rights, abortion activists are already gearing up for a significant challenge in 2024 – putting abortion rights on the ballot once again. Organizers are working in at least nine states to continue this momentum and enshrine […]
Abortion Drives November Elections
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash Early this morning, abortion rights supporters had plenty to celebrate. The results of this November’s elections could have lasting implications for conversations and policy around access to reproductive healthcare. The outcomes also suggest a transformed political landscape in the wake of SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade, even in states […]
Mexico’s Supreme Court just decriminalized abortion nationwide – but the fight’s not over yet
Mexico’s highest court unanimously ruled that previous laws banning abortion were unconstitutional and breached human rights. On Wednesday, the court “resolved that the legal system that criminalizes abortion in the Federal Criminal Code is unconstitutional, as it violates the human rights of women and the capacity to gestate.” In the press release, the Supreme Court […]
Anti-Abortion Extremists Charged With Breaking Federal Law in Historic Justice Department Conviction
Lauren Handy outside the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, the day the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (Eric Lee / The Washington Post via Getty Images) Emotions ran high over the past few weeks as reproductive rights activists watched United States v. Lauren Handy et al., play out in federal court. On Tuesday, a […]
Ohio’s Abortion Rights Future: Issue 1 Defeat Highlights Voter Commitment
Ohioans Vote for Abortion Rights, Defeating Issue 1 Last week, Ohioans overwhelmingly voted against a ballot measure that would make it harder to amend the state’s constitution. The hotly contested election served as a proxy battle between pro-abortion and anti-abortion forces committed to winning victory in the upcoming November 2023 ballot initiative to add abortion […]
Indiana’s near total abortion ban currently paused
Indiana’s latest extreme abortion ban was set to go into effect today, but remains on hold as the ACLU has filed a petition to the state Supreme Court challenging the law. The ban would outlaw abortions in all cases, except rape and incest, but only in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The health of […]
Ohio’s abortion rights amendment qualifies for November ballot
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash In November, Ohio voters will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to include a right to reproductive freedom. State officials said on Tuesday that the petition had culled 495,938 valid signatures across 55 counties, surpassing the requisite 413,487 signatures across 44 counties. Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio […]
Though most Iowans support abortion access, legislators pass six-week ban
Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court deadlocked 3-3 on whether the state could reinstate an abortion ban around six weeks. The case centered around a 2018 statute that many people believed had “no chance of taking effect,” Justice Thomas D. Waterman observed. Without Court consensus, abortion remained legal until 20 weeks of pregnancy. That changed […]
A year after Dobbs, 66,000 people who wanted abortions lived in states that banned them
Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash In the U.S., one in four women will have an abortion by age 45. Yet one in three live in states that ban or severely restrict access. Last year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade upended reproductive health care infrastructure. Questions about who can provide care, which […]
Justice for Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa as two men charged for firebombing
Photo from Flickr.com On Wednesday, two men were charged with firebombing a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa, California last March 2022. The individuals are Chance Brannon, 23, and Tibet Ergul, 21. Brannon and Ergul threw a Molotov cocktail at the entrance of the Planned Parenthood clinic prior to its opening on March 13, 2022, […]
