On Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York signed the Reproductive Health Act into law, providing protection against prosecution if an individual receives abortion care as well as expanding the availability of abortions. The law expands the criteria for receiving an abortion as well: the fetus is not viable; endangers the life of the mother; […]
Oklahoma Senator’s Bill would Classify Abortion as Homicide
On Saturday, Oklahoma Senator Joseph Silk introduced the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act (SB13), a bill that not only criminalizes abortions, but classifies abortions as homicides that can be punishable by life imprisonment. Whilst discussing the bill, Senator Silk equated seeking an abortion to killing a one-year-old child. According to Sen. Silk, SB 13’s […]
Federal Judge Ruled Mississippi 15-Week Abortion Ban Unconstitutional
On Tuesday, a federal judge in Mississippi permanently blocked the state’s 15-week abortion ban, calling it unconstitutional. The Mississippi Gestational Age Act, or HB 1510, bans abortion procedures after 15 weeks of gestation. Further, doctors who violate the ban would have their licenses revoked or suspended. The law was signed in March by Republican Governor […]
Remarkable Number of Reproductive Rights Victories This Week
A remarkable number of legal victories for reproductive health came down this week.
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.
Judge Orders Anti-Abortion Group to Cease Release of Secretly Recorded NAF Meetings
In a victory for abortion providers under attack from anti-abortion extremist group Center for Medical Progress, a United States District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering the group and its leaders to halt the release of several surreptitiously-recorded videos filmed illegally at National Abortion Federation meetings.
Study Exposes ‘Gender Gap’ in Media Coverage of Reproductive Issues
A new study by the Women’s Media Center has revealed more than half of news stories focusing on reproductive issues are written by men.
Tennessee Woman Faces Jail For Coat Hanger Abortion
A Tennessee woman was arrested and charged with attempted murder last week, three months after an attempt to terminate her pregnancy using a coat hanger.
Activists Challenge Arizona Sex and Race-Selective Abortion Law
NAPAWF and the Maricopa County Branch of the NAACP are challenging a 2011 Arizona anti-abortion law which requires women’s reproductive healthcare providers to racially profile Asian and African-American women seeking to terminate their pregnancies in the name of eliminating sex and race-selective abortion.
Last Full-Time Abortion Clinic in Kentucky Vandalized Twice in Three Weeks
Kentucky’s last remaining full-time abortion clinic has been vandalized twice in less than one month.
Jindal Appeals Federal Court Ruling That Saved Medicaid Funding for Planned Parenthood
Last week, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s administration filed an appeal notice at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans after a federal judge ordered his administration to cease efforts to strip Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood in the state.
ACA Birth Control Benefit Heads Back to the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear arguments from religiously affiliated non-profits challenging women’s right to access insurance coverage for birth control under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Teen Births In Colorado Dip 48 Percent Thanks To LARCs
Just five years since Colorado introduced an innovative family planning initiative providing little to no-cost long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) to low-income women in 68 clinics, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced a 48 percent decline in teen births and abortions statewide.
Texas Officials Raid Planned Parenthood
To date, all investigations – including those carried out in Texas – have found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Planned Parenthood.
Gov. Cuomo Signs Women’s Equality Bills Into Law
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just signed into law several bills strengthening protections for women in the workplace as well as victims of sex trafficking, sexual harassment, and domestic violence in an effort to further women’s equality in the state.
Planned Parenthood Clinic Vandalized by Intruder With Hatchet
In the latest incident of violent anti-abortion extremism, an intruder wielding a hatchet ripped through a Planned Parenthood in Claremont, New Hampshire last week destroying telephones, medical equipment, computers and plumber fixtures, resulting in “significant” damage including flooding.
New Report Details Growing Threat of Politicians ‘Playing Doctor’
In a new report health and safety experts urged policymakers to consider the growing influence of US politicians in their electorate’s most personal and private spaces: exam rooms.
Texas to Cut Medicaid Funding to Planned Parenthood
Texas officials announced the state will cut Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, violating federal law and denying critical reproductive health care to tens of thousands of Texas women.
Arizona Judge Blocks Restrictive Anti-Abortion Law
An Arizona judge permanently blocked an anti-abortion law on Thursday that would have severely restricted access to medication abortions.
Dangerous TRAP Laws Blocked in Ohio and Oklahoma
This week, women’s healthcare providers in Ohio and Oklahoma challenging anti-abortion legislation have succeeded in blocking dangerous TRAP laws in two of the most hostile states in the nation for reproductive rights.