May 2024 – REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALERTS

31 May

Texas Supreme Court rejects challenge to abortion laws

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Ban, Abortion Care, Healthcare, legislation, Texas, United States

The court ruled against 20 women who said they were denied medically necessary abortions, saying the medical exceptions in the law were broad enough.

30 May

Planned Parenthood asks judge to expand health exception to Indiana abortion ban

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Ban, Health Exception, Indiana, Judge, Planned Parenthood, United States

"Abortion providers are asking an Indiana trial judge this week to broaden access to abortions under the state's near-total ban. Indiana law allows for abortion in rare circumstances, including when the health or life of the woman is at risk, but only at a hospital...."

29 May

Despite pressure, Amarillo City Council punts on abortion travel ban petition

MollyLatest News, United StatesAmarillo, Anti-abortion, City Council, Petition, Texas, travel ban, United States

"The Amarillo City Council on Tuesday declined to immediately approve a voter-approved petition that demands the Texas Panhandle city adopt a so-called abortion travel ban, once again slowing a movement that has swept through similar conservative cities and counties. The council now has less than a month to decide whether to accept, amend, or reject the petition supported by anti-abortion activists. If the council ultimately rejects the petition or heavily amends it, supporters are expected to ask voters to have the final say in November...."

29 May

How Delaware aims to strengthen women’s reproductive rights with these bills

MollyLatest News, United StatesBills, Delaware, legislation, Reproductive rights, State Senate, United States

"The Delaware Senate will weigh a series of bills aimed at protecting fertility treatment, abortion access and overall reproductive rights in the First State as the legislative body enters its final month of session. House Bill 374, sponsored by House Rep. Kendra Johnson and Rep. Nicole Poore, will codify legal protections for fertility treatment providers, protecting Delawareans’ access to in-vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technologies...."

28 May

Forced sterilizations for people with disabilities decried by members of Congress

PatLatest Newslegislation, People With Disabilities, Sterilization, United States

Three members of Congress introduced a resolution Thursday that’s intended to bring attention to the experiences and challenges people with disabilities face when it comes to reproductive rights. Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley announced the resolution during a press conference with advocates just steps from the U.S. Capitol, saying that under a Supreme Court ruling still in effect, people with disabilities can be sterilized without their consent.

27 May

Commentary: Missouri lawmakers chose anti-abortion antics over helping children and families

PatLatest NewsAbortion Ban, Abortion Care, legislation, Missouri, Opinion, United States

Missouri’s legislative session closed with a sad and stunning display of how little the loudest lawmakers identifying as “pro-life” care about helping children and families — or governing at all.

26 May

Louisiana votes to make abortion pills controlled substances

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Pills, Controlled Substances, legislation, Louisiana, mifepristone, United States

"Louisiana has become the first state to pass a law that designates abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances. Once Gov. Jeff Landry signs the bill into law, as he is expected to do, possession of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol without a prescription would be a crime punishable with possible fines and jail time. Louisiana already has a near-total abortion ban, so the medications, which are also used for miscarriages and ulcers, are only available in that state under limited circumstances...."

25 May

New rules are in the works about abortion bans in Texas. Almost nobody’s happy.

AnnetteLatest News, United StatesAbortion Ban, Abortion Care, Abortion Pills, Abortion Rights, Healthcare, legislation, Texas, United States

The stakes are high for doctors in Texas when it comes to abortion. https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/2024-05-25/new-rules-are-in-the-works-about-abortion-bans-in-texas-almost-nobodys-happyWith three overlapping laws, Texas bans nearly all abortions and has some of the strictest penalties for doctors in the country, including thousands of dollars in fines, the loss of a medical license and even life in prison.

24 May

Commentary: Anti-abortion advocates are manipulating our courts

AlanLatest NewsAbortion Care, Abortion Rights, Courts, Healthcare, Opinion

In late June of this year, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is expected to issue decisions on “Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v the Food and Drug Administration” (AHM v FDA) and “Idaho v the United States.” Opponents of sexual and reproductive health care rights seek to undermine trusted medical systems, and give states’ total abortion bans the authority to override not only federal law, but doctors’ judgment as well.

23 May

Four things you should know about Maryland’s Maternal Health Act of 2024

AlanLatest News2024 Election, Healthcare, Maryland, Maternal & Child Health, United States

For Del. Jennifer White Holland (D-10) addressing maternal and child health has been a passion for “quite some time.” The public health professional said that her lived experience led her to sponsor a key piece of legislation that looks to improve outcomes for expectant mothers.

23 May

A comment from Trump and GOP actions in the states put contraceptive access in the 2024 spotlight

BarbraLatest News, United States2024 Election, Contraception, Healthcare, legislation

Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. have been rejecting Democrats’ efforts to protect or expand access to birth control, an issue Democrats are promoting as a major issue in this year’s elections along with abortion and other reproductive rights concerns.

22 May

Louisiana House votes to make abortion pills controlled substances

BarbraLatest News, United StatesAbortion Pills, Healthcare, Louisiana, mifepristone

In a first-of-its-kind move, lawmakers in Louisiana have now passed a controversial bill to reclassify two commonly-used drugs in abortions as “controlled dangerous substances.”

22 May

Louisiana bill to criminalize abortion medications, echoing AG Marshall’s approach

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Pills, Alabama, Louisiana, mifepristone, United States

The Louisiana law echoes AG Steve Marshall’s crusade in Alabama to attack reproductive health, threatening to prosecute women.

21 May

Republicans try to soften stance on abortion as ‘abolitionists’ go farther

MollyLatest News, United States"Abortion Abolitionists", Abortion, Fertility Clinic, Health care, IVF, North Carolina, Reproductive Health, Reproductive rights, Republicans, United States

"As some Republicans try to moderate their messaging on abortion over concerns about voter backlash this November, some activists are trying to go much further. Outside a fertility clinic in Charlotte, N.C., last month, dozens of protestors lined both sides of the street, as some shouted toward the closed front door. "How many children are in the freezer here? How many?" one man yelled, interspersing his speech with Bible verses...."

20 May

Ohio voters approved reproductive rights. Will the state’s near-ban on abortion stand?

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion, Abortion Ban, Constitution, Judge, Ohio, Reproductive rights, Ruling, United States, Voting

"A county judge could rule as early as Monday on Ohio's law banning virtually all abortions, a decision that will take into consideration the decision by voters to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution. The 2019 law under consideration by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins bans most abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy, before many women are aware...."