Year: 2023

Judge rejects attempt to enshrine abortion rights on Nevada ballot

"A judge in Nevada rejected a proposed 2024 ballot initiative that sought to enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state’s constitution. Siding with a newly established PAC — the Coalition for Parents and Children PAC — which filed a lawsuit last month to block the petition, District Judge James T. Russell deemed the proposed ballot initiative to be too broad, embracing a “multitude of subjects that amount to logrolling.”"
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Protecting healthcare workers advocating for safe abortion: Amnesty International abortion defenders report launch

"Amnesty International has released a new global report, An Unstoppable Movement: A global call to recognize and protect those who defend the right to safe abortions, highlighting the attacks, intimidation and criminalisation healthcare workers and activists face for supporting the right of women and girls  to access abortions. Based on more than 40 personal interviews and supported by several organisations including FIGO, the report reveals the harrowing experiences of  healthcare workers, activists and advocates around the world who face abuse, arrest, prosecution and imprisonment for their work...."
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Abortions rose 5% in year before Roe was overturned: CDC

"The number of abortions in the U.S. increased 5% the year before Roe v. Wade was overturned, with women in their 20s accounting for nearly 6 in 10 of the procedures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday. Why it matters: The 2021 data from CDC's annual abortion incidence report track with earlier research showing demand for abortions was trending upward before the Supreme Court struck down federal protection of the procedure. 53% of procedures that year were medication abortions — and use of abortion pills at or before nine weeks of gestation rose 3% from 2020 to 2021...."
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Births have increased in states with abortion bans, research finds

"Nearly a quarter of people seeking an abortion in the United States were unable to get one due to bans that took effect after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, researchers estimate. In the first half of 2023, states with abortion bans had an average fertility rate that was 2.3% higher than states where abortion was not restricted, according to the analysis – leading to about 32,000 more births than expected...."
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Alliance Defending Freedom asks U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in Idaho abortion case

"Attorneys for two national law firms have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a federal case in Idaho regarding whether emergency room physicians can continue to be shielded from prosecution under the state’s abortion ban. If the court were to grant the motion, ER doctors in Idaho would again be subject to criminal penalties and loss of medical licenses for performing an abortion unless it qualified under the state exception to save the pregnant patient’s life...."
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Texas businesses say abortion ban costs state nearly $15 billion a year

"40 Texas companies and business leaders are entering the fight against Texas’ abortion ban, filing a brief with the Texas Supreme Court that argues the “ambiguity” in the laws medical exceptions cost the state an estimated $14.5 billion in lost revenue every year. Austin-based dating app giant Bumble is leading the effort, submitting an amicus brief ahead of the high court’s arguments in Zurawski v. Texas. Lead plaintiff Amanda Zurawski is challenging the state’s abortion ban after she nearly died of sepsis due to a pregnancy complication. She says the Texas abortion ban’s vague medical exceptions prevented her doctor from providing a…
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Abortions in Alaska can only be performed by doctors. Is that about to change?

"Only doctors can perform abortions in Alaska, according to a 50-year-old law. That means advanced practice clinicians, such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives can’t perform abortions in the state, even when they have the proper training. And non-physicians aren’t allowed to prescribe pills to induce abortion, either. Planned Parenthood’s Alaska chapter argues that this restriction limits access to abortion. So, the chapter filed a lawsuit against the state in 2018 to challenge the law.  Superior Court Judge Josie Garton heard arguments in the case the week of Nov. 13 in an Anchorage courtroom...."
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How to Have Effective Conversations About Abortion at Family Gatherings

"The holidays are almost here, and I’ll admit I’m a little anxious about discussing certain topics at the dinner table with extended family. I’ve got some very outspoken anti-abortion relatives. And even though I work to advance reproductive rights for a living, it can still be incredibly difficult to have meaningful conversations with them about abortion.  I know it’s going to come up, though, and I need to be prepared. Abortion continues to be a major issue in the news. Recently, Ohio became the seventh state in which voters directly backed abortion access with a ballot measure since Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S.…
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Why the abortion issue matters

“American Elections Are About Abortion Now,” reads the headline over a New York Times column. New York magazine puts it more bluntly: “Abortion Wins Elections.” Every voter cares about many issues. Every election turns on many factors. Without a doubt, however, abortion gives the Democrats enormous leverage to counteract Joe Biden’s considerable weaknesses. As party strategist Tom Bonior wrote in his Times essay, “abortion could plausibly be the deciding factor next November.”
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What to know about abortion and the 2024 election

Perhaps no issue is thornier for the 2024 Republican presidential primary candidates than abortion. Republican leaders widely cheered the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. But since then, they have found that going too far on abortion restrictions can be a political liability.
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Lawyers for religious leaders challenging Missouri abortion ban say law imposes beliefs on everyone

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri lawmakers intended to “impose their religious beliefs on everyone" in the state when they passed a restrictive abortion ban, lawyers for a group of religious leaders who support abortion rights said at a court hearing Thursday.
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Oklahoma Supreme Court keeps anti-abortion laws on hold while challenge is pending

"The Oklahoma Supreme Court reiterated its position on Tuesday in a 5-4 opinion that the state constitution guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion when necessary to preserve her life, although the procedure remains illegal in virtually all other cases. In a case involving a legal challenge to five separate anti-abortion bills passed by the Legislature in 2021, the court ordered a lower court to keep in place a temporary ban on three of those laws while the merits of the case are considered. Two of the laws were already put on hold by a district court judge."
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Polish Left Submits Bills To Liberalise Abortion Law

"Poland's leftists, part of a coalition in control of the new parliament, said on Tuesday they had submitted two bills to liberalise one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws. Abortion in the majority-Catholic country is currently legal only if the pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest or threatens the life or health of the woman. "One of them provides for full legalisation of the right to terminate a pregnancy until the 12th week," Left lawmaker Anna Maria Zukowska told AFP. "The other is a bill decriminalising abortion assistance," she added. The draft legislation was submitted on Monday, when Poland's…
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President Biden Signs Memorandum on Women’s Health Research Initiative

President Biden delivered brief remarks as he signed a memorandum establishing the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, saying it would help solidify federal efforts to boost medical research of specific interest to women. First lady Jill Biden also offered her thanks to some of those in attendance who had advocated for the initiative’s creation, including journalist, advocate, and former first lady of California Maria Schriver.
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