The California state legislature is considering a bill to reduce or eliminate the cost of abortion care in the state. The bill would eliminate co-pays and payments towards deductibles for abortions and abortion counseling. The bill, SB 245, was approved by the Senate and will next be voted on in the Assembly. “It’s tough to […]
Texas High School Valedictorian Scraps Speech to Call for Abortion Access
A Texas high school valedictorian decided to scrap her pre-approved speech on media and its effect on young people in favor of a brave address on the fight for abortion access in the state. Paxton Smith delivered an impassioned plea for abortion rights stating: “I cannot give up this platform to promote complacency and peace […]
Biden Releases Historic $6 Trillion Budget, Eliminates the Hyde Amendment
On Friday, President Biden released a bold new $6 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2022 aimed at growing the economy as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, and which for the first time since the Clinton administration does not include the Hyde Amendment, a provision which prevents federal funds from being used for […]
Louisville Metro Council Passes Safety Zone Ordinance to Protect Clinics
Last week in Kentucky, the Louisville metro council passed a safety zone ordinance that will create a safety buffer zone outside of health care clinics, including the EMW Women’s Surgical Center which is one of only two abortion clinics in the state and has been the target of ongoing anti-abortion protests. The new measure provides […]
Texas Governor Signs Abortion Ban into Law
On Wednesday, Texas governor Greg Abbott (R) signed SB 8, a bill that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, into law. The law, misleadingly called a “heartbeat” bill, bans abortion after six weeks, often before someone is even aware of the pregnancy, and allows private citizens to sue doctors or anyone else who helps […]
Supreme Court to Review Mississippi’s 15- Week Abortion Ban
On Monday, the Supreme Court said that it will review Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which aimed to repeal Roe v. Wade, in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The ban has been blocked by lower courts over the last two years since its passage, reasoning that the law is unconstitutional under Roe’s standards. […]
Texas House Passes Anti-Abortion Bill
On Wednesday, the Texas House passed a bill banning abortion as early as six weeks, before most people know they are pregnant. The Senate has already passed a similar version, and differences will be negotiated before the bill will go to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk. The bill is a “heartbeat bill,” meaning it aims to […]
Montana Governor Signs Three Anti-Abortion Bills
On Monday, Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana signed three bills aimed at restricting abortion access. The first bill requires health care providers to offer pregnant people the opportunity to view an ultrasound before providing an abortion. The second creates restrictions for medication abortion, including outlawing the use of telemedicine for administration of the necessary pills. […]
Oklahoma Governor Signs Sweeping Anti-Abortion Legislation into Law
On Monday, Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt signed three anti-abortion bills into law, making abortion in Oklahoma nearly impossible to access. HB 2441 is a “heartbeat” bill, which prohibits abortion once a “fetal heartbeat” has been detected. It only makes exceptions for cases where the mother’s life is in danger. Any provider who performs an abortion […]
Arkansas Passes Law Requiring Survivors of Rape, Incest to Report Crime Before Seeking Abortion
On Wednesday, Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a bill that requires victims of rape and incest to report the crime to police before seeking an abortion after the state’s 20-week limit. The law will apply to other restrictive abortion cutoffs currently enacted by the state and will require abortion providers to document that […]
Biden Announces Reversal of Trump’s Domestic Gag Rule
On Wednesday, the Biden Administration announced that they would be taking steps to undo the Trump-era domestic “gag” rule, which prevented clinics that referred patients for abortions from receiving federal funding. The proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule would revoke the Trump restrictions eventually, but not immediately. If implemented, the rule will […]
FDA Lifts Ban on Receiving Abortion Pill By Mail During Pandemic
On Tuesday, the Biden administration lifted the ban on receiving the pills required for medication abortion through the mail. The reprieve only applies for the duration of the pandemic but is still a major victory for abortion rights advocates. In a letter sent Monday, acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock said that the agency would stop […]
ACLU Files Suit On Behalf of Incarcerated Woman Seeking Abortion Care
On Friday, the ACLU of Nebraska filed a federal lawsuit seeking emergency action on behalf of an incarcerated woman who is being blocked from accessing abortion care. The woman is incarcerated at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women (NCCW). ACLU argues in its lawsuit that the state official’s policy violates the woman’s constitutional right to […]
Biden Administration to Amend Trump Federal Family Planning Program Rules
The Biden administration has announced that it will rewrite the rules for the Title X federal family planning program put in place by Donald Trump, which forced Planned Parenthood and other independent clinics who provide abortion and reproductive health care to withdraw from the program in 2019. Trump’s changes to the program, which provides reproductive […]
Anti-Abortion Extremist Sentenced to Prison for Health Insurance Fraud
On February 23, Jeffrey White and his son Nicholas White were sentenced to prison and subsequent supervised release. The two men conspired to defraud health care plans under the Affordable Care Act, enrolling individuals in ACA plans in states where they did not live. They created fake leases and cell phone numbers for these individuals. […]
Arkansas Governor Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban into Law
This week Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a near-total ban on all abortions in Arkansas, with the only exception being if the life of the pregnant person is in danger. “This is politics at its very worst,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in a statement. “At a time […]
Two Incidents of Anti-Abortion Clinic Harassment Occur This Week
On Saturday, an anti-abortion protester accidentally shot himself outside of A Woman’s Choice clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to Kelsea McLain, a lead volunteer coordinator with the clinic, the facility has lockdown protocols to follow when a gun is seen on site, but no staff members realized that the protester was armed until after […]
Idaho House Passes Legislation to Defund Abortion Providers
On Tuesday, the Idaho House passed a bill that would prevent any public funding from going to health care practitioners who perform or provide counsel on abortion care. The bill, HB 525, “would bar all public funding to any entity — including schools, public health departments and other health care providers — if anyone associated […]
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Anti-Abortion Law in South Carolina
After one day of passage, federal Judge Mary Geiger Lewis placed a 14-day restraining order on the law and plans to renew it until amore substantial hearing on March 9th. The law, titled “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat Protection from Abortion Act” restricts abortion at the detection of fetal heartbeat, which can be as early as […]
Tennessee Legislators Introduce Bill Allowing Fathers to Prevent Abortion
Tennessee legislators have introduced a bill that if passed would allow biological fathers to receive a court injunction preventing the pregnant person from receiving an abortion. SB 494 was introduced in the Tennessee state Senate last week by Republican state Sen. Mark Pody, with a corresponding bill HB 1079 introduced in the state House by […]
