On May 20, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda announced the release of 50 women imprisoned for undergoing, seeking, or helping others locate an abortion. Their pardoning was part of Rwanda’s plan to reduce the number of people in prison to slow the spread of coronavirus. A total of 3,596 convicts were granted conditional release by […]
Trump Administration Demands UN Remove “Reproductive Health” From Pandemic Response
The Trump administration sent a letter to the United Nations on Monday urging the UN to remove references to reproductive health and abortion in its COVID-19 humanitarian response plan. The letter was sent from John Barsa, acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The letter urges the UN to eliminate all mentions […]
Former Roe V. Wade Plaintiff Admits Pro-Life Stance Was An Act
Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff from the Roe v. Wade (1973) case, has once again publicly changed her stance in support of abortion, and also admitted that she only came out against abortion after being paid by anti-abortion groups. These statements come to light in the documentary “AKA Jane Roe”—directed by Nick Sweeney and filmed just before her death in […]
Alabama Nonprofit Yellowhammer Fund Buys Abortion Clinic
Yellowhammer Fund, an Alabama reproductive justice organization, purchased last week the West Alabama Women’s Center abortion clinic. The clinic is one of three abortion clinics left in the state. In their May 15th announcement, the group stated, ”West Alabama Women’s Center has been a hub for abortion access for nearly three decades, and we want […]
New Report Shows Gaps in Coverage for Abortions in Employer Insurance Plans
Ten percent of people on employer-sponsored health insurance work at firms that have opted to exclude abortion coverage from its health plans, a Kaiser Family Foundation reported revealed on Tuesday. As the most popular source of health insurance, employer-sponsored plans cover 153 million Americans. For more than 15 million people whose plans do not cover […]
Supreme Court Considers Affordable Care Act Religious Exemption Rule
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider yet another case regarding whether employers can decline to cover contraceptives in their health care plans. Reproductive rights groups warn that depending on the outcome of the case, tens of thousands of American women could lose vital contraceptive coverage. The case, Little Sisters of the Poor and Paul […]
ACLU Challenges Arkansas’s Latest Attempt to Restrict Abortion Access
Arkansas’s only in-clinic abortion provider, Little Rock Family Planning Services, is suing the state to challenge a rule requiring patients to get a COVID-19 test within 48 hours of their abortion procedure. This is the second time Arkansas abortion providers have had to fight a legal battle to protect abortion access during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Court of Appeals Lifts Oklahoma Abortion Ban
On March 27th, Oklahoma Kevin Stitt issued an executive order postponing elective procedures and surgeries, including “any type of abortion services… which are not a medical emergency… or otherwise necessary to prevent serious health risks” to the pregnant person. On April 6, Judge Charles Goodwin of Oklahoma’s Western District Court placed a temporary stay on […]
Supreme Court Cases May Leave Many Without Insurance Coverage for Birth Control
Next week, the Supreme Court will hear two cases, Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and Trump v. Pennsylvania, that could significantly limit birth control access in the United States. The Court’s conservative majority may use these cases to allow most employers to claim religious or moral exemptions to providing contraception coverage in their […]
The Hill Op-Ed Piece Calls for FDA to Lift Medication Abortion Regulations
On April 27, The Hill published an opinion piece entitled “The UK Allows Home Use of the Abortion Pill– the US Should Do the Same” by Susan F. Wood, former FDA assistant commissioner for Women’s Health and a professor of health and policy management at George Washington University, and Cynthia A. Pearson, executive director of […]
Kentucky Governor Vetoes Anti-Abortion Bill
On Friday, April 24, Kentucky Governor Andrew Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 9, which aimed to grant the state’s attorney general the power to restrict abortion access during the coronavirus pandemic, and require physicians to attempt to “preserve the life of any infant born after an attempted abortion”. The governor stated in his veto message that […]
COVID-19 Affecting Decisions About Having Children
The current COVID-19 pandemic has provoked a shift in the decision making processes of those considering having children. Originally when the pandemic began, many suggested that there would be a “baby boom” in nine months, especially as research suggests a spike in births after certain forms of disasters, especially in cases in which individuals are […]
Judge Blocks Tennessee’s Coronavirus Abortion Ban
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s halt on procedural abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. This decision is another victory for reproductive rights advocates fighting abortion bans across the United States, including in Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled Friday that Tennessee cannot […]
Polish Parliament Postpones Vote on Restrictive Abortion Bill
The Polish parliament has indefinitely delayed a final vote on a controversial bill that would almost completely ban abortion in the country. Poland’s current abortion laws, some of the strictest in Europe, only allow abortions in cases of rape or incest, danger to the pregnant person’s life, or severe fetal impairment. The proposed bill would […]
Abortion Services Allowed to Continue in Oklahoma After Appeals Court Ruling
The decision by a lower court to overturn the Oklahoma governor’s ban on abortion has been upheld by a federal appeals court. Yesterday, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made a unanimous ruling to allow abortions to continue in Oklahoma, overturning Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) ban on abortion as part […]
Judge Affirms Abortion Access in Alabama During Coronavirus Pandemic
A federal judge has ruled that Alabama cannot ban abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. District Judge Myron Thompson decided that the state must allow abortion providers to exercise “reasonable medical judgment” in deciding whether a procedure can wait until after the COVID-19 crisis. Alabama, like many other states, ordered a halt on non-essential medical procedures […]
Virginia Governor Signs Abortion Protections and Gun Reform Into Law
On Friday, Governor Ralph Northam signed bills into law that roll back state abortion restrictions, specifically the state’s TRAP (Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers) laws. The removal of abortion restrictions comes at a time when reproductive rights are being restricted under the current administration and during the COVID-19 crisis. Northam’s spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky stated that […]
Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Texas Coronavirus Abortion Ban
A federal appeals court upheld Texas’s ban on abortion services during the coronavirus crisis less than 24 hours after a district judge struck down parts of the ban. This latest decision blocks medication abortions but allows abortions for those who would be past Texas’s legal gestational limit at the end of the ban. In late […]
Northern Irelanders Must Travel to England for Abortion Care During Pandemic
Despite the recent legalization of abortion in Northern Ireland, it remains inaccessible there, forcing patients to take an 8-hour ferry ride to England to receive abortion care. Last year, the British parliament overturned Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws to bring it into line with the rest of the United Kingdom, but the regional government continues […]
Wisconsin Republicans Push Health Officials to Close Abortion Clinics
Wisconsin Republicans argued in a letter that state health officials should temporarily close abortion clinics for safety, and to ensure that they are not utilizing medical resources that are needed elsewhere during the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Tony Evers’ “Safer at Home” order given last week did not specifically mention abortion clinics as essential business; however, […]
