The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Friday against the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which claims that the ORR has violated the separation of church and state by providing millions of dollars annually to Catholic Charity organizations that refuse to provide constitutionally […]
UN Demands That Ireland Amend Anti-Abortion Legislation
The Council’s ruling is incredibly significant, as Ireland has some of the strictest abortion legislation in the world.
West Texas Abortion Providers Are Overwhelmed By Demand Due to Anti-Abortion Laws Shuttering Clinics
The closure of Planned Parenthood clinics in the state—which once served as primary sources of reproductive health care for women there—has left the few clinics remaining in west Texas underfunded, understaffed, and overwhelmed by demand.
“Abortion Drone” Will Fly from Ireland to Northern Ireland
On Tuesday, June 21, a drone will depart from Ireland to Northern Ireland carrying Misoprostol and Mifepristone, which are used in medication abortions. The “Abortion Drone” was made possible by a coalition of pro-choice Irish organizations, including Alliance for Choice, Rosa, Labour Alternative and Women on Waves. Its contents will allow its recipient, who is legally […]
Ohio and Planned Parenthood Settle Federal Lawsuit
Planned Parenthood reached a settlement with the state of Ohio last week, nearly six months after the healthcare provider filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent state Attorney General Mike DeWine from unfairly prosecuting the organization.
Indiana Court Hears Arguments to Free Purvi Patel, Imprisoned for Abortion
More than a year after she was sentenced to 20 years prison for terminating her pregnancy, Purvi Patel finally had the opportunity to have her case heard by the Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday.
Federal Court Orders Recount of Vote on Anti-Abortion Tennessee Ballot Measure
A federal court on Friday ordered Tennessee election officials to recount the votes cast during the 2014 election on Amendment 1, an anti-abortion state constitutional amendment.
56 People of Color Testify Against Abortion Ban Built on Racist and Sexist Stereotypes
Declaring, “we will not sit silently while we are exploited for the passage of yet another abortion restriction,” 56 people of color submitted written testimony to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice in opposition to the so-called Prenatal Discrimination Act (PRENDA).
Tennessee Voters Challenge Anti-Abortion Constitutional Amendment in Federal Court
Voters in Tennessee have mounted a legal challenge to a 2014 state constitutional amendment — known as Amendment 1 — declaring that there is no right to abortion in Tennessee, even in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
FDA Expands Access to Medication Abortion
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made mifepristone (the early option of abortion by pills, or medication abortion) more accessible to women, but still kept in place unnecessary regulations.
Governor McAuliffe Vetoes Bill Defunding Planned Parenthood
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed a measure today that would have defunded Planned Parenthood in the state.
Federal Court Permanently Strikes Down Alabama TRAP Law
In a decision issued three weeks after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments against a similar Texas TRAP law, a federal judge on Friday permanently blocked a provision in an Alabama law that would close almost all of the state’s abortion clinics by unnecessarily requiring providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Tennessee Fetal Assault Law Will Expire in July
In a win for reproductive justice advocates, a Tennessee bill that would have permanently extended the state’s dangerous “Fetal Assault Law” was defeated in a 3-3 committee vote on Tuesday. The law will now sunset on July 1st.
Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Birth Control Case
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday—the 6th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—on whether religiously affiliated non-profits can use their religious beliefs to discriminate against women by blocking health insurance coverage for birth control.
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback Moves to Defund Planned Parenthood
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has formally notified Planned Parenthood that it will ban the healthcare provider from the state’s Medicaid program, following through on a pledge made by Governor Sam Brownback earlier this year.
Senate Judiciary Committee Considers Two Anti-Abortion Bills
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday on two anti-abortion bills that seek to prohibit abortion and criminalize physicians.
Louisiana Politicians Pre-File Anti-Abortion Bills
Even as the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday blocked enforcement of a Louisiana TRAP law that would have left the state with only one abortion provider, anti-abortion politicians continue to propose an onslaught of legislation that could shutter the state’s four remaining abortion clinics for good.
Man Pleads Guilty To Threatening Minnesota Abortion Clinics
Anti-abortion extremist Michael John Harris pled guilty on Wednesday to threatening to kill staff, patients, and doctors at two Minnesota reproductive health clinics.
Thousands Rally for Abortion Access at the U.S. Supreme Court
At least two thousand pro-abortion rights activists rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday as justices heard arguments in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a challenge to the Texas TRAP law designed to close off access to abortion.
House Democrats Denounce Rep Blackburn’s Unilateral Use of Subpoenas Targeting Healthcare Providers
The six Democratic Members of the House Select Investigative Panel sent a letter to Chair Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Friday objecting to the Chair’s “abusive and unjustifiable” use of her subpoena authority to force healthcare providers and others to disclose the names of doctors, medical students, and clinic personnel.