April 2024 – REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALERTS

30 Apr

1 in 4 U.S. Women Will Have an Abortion in Their Lifetime

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion, Healthcare, United States

As the battle over abortion continues to rage in the courts and American politics, a new report estimates that one in every four U.S. women will undergo the procedure during their lifetime. The study was issued by the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health that supports access to abortion.

30 Apr

“Abortionist”: The Label That Turns Healthcare Workers Into Criminals

AlanLatest NewsAbortion, Abortionist, Healthcare, History of Abortion Politics, United States

The moniker has branded those who help terminate pregnancies as illegitimate, dangerous, and, in turn, allowable targets of violence.

29 Apr

HHS Amends HIPAA To Further Protect Privacy of Reproductive Health Care Informatio

AlanLatest NewsHealthcare, HHS, HIPAA, Privacy, Reproductive Health, United States

Changes to the privacy rule are likely to put regulated entities at odds with courts and law enforcement The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week released final amendments to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to further protect the privacy of protected health information (PHI) related to reproductive health care. The amendments will provide patients, health care providers, and others with greater protections from PHI being used and disclosed to conduct investigations or impose liability on those seeking, obtaining, providing, or facilitating reproductive health care.

28 Apr

These are the states where abortion rights will – or could – be on the ballot in November

BarbraLatest News, United StatesAbortion Ban, Abortion Rights, legislation, Post-Dobbs, United States

This November, many voters across the country could take to the polls to determine the future of abortion access in their state, with organizers working to secure a wave of measures on the 2024 ballot aimed at restoring or protecting the right to an abortion – and a few aimed at restricting it.

27 Apr

With Florida and Arizona bans looming, money’s getting tight for abortion travel funders

AnnetteLatest News, United StatesAbortion Ban, Abortion Care, Abortion Pills, Abortion Rights, Arizona, Florida, Healthcare, legislation, May 1st, Prohobition, Six-week Abortion Ban, travel, Travel Funding, unintended pregnancies, United States

With Florida set to enforce a six-week abortion ban as early as May 1 and a near-total prohibition taking effect soon after in Arizona, staffers at abortion funds say they won’t be able to meet the increased demand for help funding out-of-state travel — a development that could lead to more people continuing unintended pregnancies.

27 Apr

What abortion politics has to do with new rights for pregnant workers

PatLatest NewsAbortion Accommodation, Attorney General, EEOC, Pregnancy, United States

This week, attorneys general from 17 Republican-led states sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over something they say is an "abortion accommodation mandate."

26 Apr

Biden Administration Issues Final Rule Securing Vital Protections for Pregnant Workers

PatLatest Newshealthy pregnancy, Pregnant workers, reasonable accommomdations, United States

On April 19, the Biden Administration issued a final rule to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), landmark legislation included in the bipartisan FY23 omnibus appropriations bill. The PWFA requires most employers with 15 or more employees to provide “reasonable accommodations,” or changes at work, for a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an undue hardship. The rule provides important clarity that will allow pregnant workers to work while maintaining a healthy pregnancy and help employers understand their duties under the law. Highlights from the final regulation include: an expansive definition…

25 Apr

Can 14 strangers from Wisconsin help America find common ground on abortion?

AlanLatest NewsAbortion Care, Healthcare, United States, Wisconsin

Abortion opponents and supporters seek consensus solutions on reproductive health policy as part of a new citizen-led initiative guided by national nonprofit Starts With Us

24 Apr

Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on abortion access in emergency rooms

AlanLatest NewsAbortion, Abortion Ban, Emergency Departments, Healthcare, Idaho v. United States, Supreme Court, United States

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments today in a case about whether patients have access to emergency room abortions in states banning the procedure.

23 Apr

New Biden rule protects privacy for women who get abortions

PatLatest NewsAbortion Ban, Abortion Rights, Privacy, United States

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration issued a final rule on Monday aimed at strengthening privacy protections for women seeking abortions that bans the disclosure of protected health information related to reproductive health.

23 Apr

How zombie abortion bills are influencing 2024 fight

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Ban, Abortion Rights, Arizonia, travel

Archaic pieces of legislation are coming back to life as the fight over abortion access rages across the country ahead of the 2024 election. When the Arizona Supreme Court ruled to ban nearly all abortions in the state, it did so by upholding an 1864 law — passed before Arizona was made a state — that made performing abortions a felony.

22 Apr

Hospitals largely keep quiet on maternal care since Dobbs, STAT survey finds

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Care, Dobbs, Healthcare, legislation, United States

The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has transformed not just abortion access but maternal health care across the United States, causing physicians in states with restrictive laws to shift treatment of conditions including ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. The full scale of the impact, though, has been obscured in a polarized political climate where physicians are often afraid to speak out, or are blocked by their hospitals from talking about their experiences post-Dobbs.

21 Apr

Texas, Idaho abortion bans challenge federal emergency treatment law

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Rights, Healthcare, Idaho, Texas, United States

For decades, American hospitals have operated under a federal law requiring them to treat any patient having an emergency. Now, some conservative states that want a nearly complete abortion ban are putting this in jeopardy.

20 Apr

Reagan-era emergency health care law is the next abortion flashpoint at the Supreme Court

AnnetteUnited StatesAbortion Ban, Abortion Care, Abortion Pills, Abortion Rights, Biden, Biden Adminstration, Emergency health, Healthcare, legislation, Reagan, Roe v Wade, Supreme Court, United States

Two years after ending the national right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court will scrutinize one of the marquee efforts by the Biden administration to preserve abortion access in the post-Roe v. Wade era.

19 Apr

Reproductive Rights News Roundup

BarbraLatest News, United StatesAbortion Care, Amendment 4, Florida, legislation

Orlandoans turned out in force for the Yes on 4 Campaign Launch and rally this weekend. The afternoon event at Lake Eola aimed to raise awareness across the state for Amendment 4, a 2024 ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in our state constitution, heading off a statewide six-week abortion ban at the pass.