October 2024 – REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALERTS

31 Oct

Reproductive rights groups sue Louisiana over controlled substances law

PatLatest News, United Stateslegislation, Louisiana, Reproductive rights, United States

A group of health care providers and two Louisiana women who were denied abortion care are suing state officials to block a new law that makes common pregnancy medications controlled dangerous substances, arguing the law is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

30 Oct

Faced with obstacles to abortion, military women have built their own support system

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion, Abortion Care, Healthcare, military, United States

“Air Force Staff Sgt. Octavia James has helped fellow airmen navigate the difficult choices faced by women in the military when they are contemplating an abortion. People usually seek James out when they don’t feel comfortable going to a commanding officer. She has invited airmen to stay in her apartment in Norfolk, Va., while they recover from an abortion. She recalls once having to help a friend out of the shower because her sedation was slow to wear off….”

29 Oct

Iowa’s six week abortion ban has been in effect three months

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Ban, Abortion travel, Iowa, Planned Parenthood, United States

“Planned Parenthood officials say they do not yet know on how many Iowans have sought abortions out of state after Iowa’s ban on most abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy took effect July 29. “Quite a few of my patients in Minnesota and Nebraska are from Iowa,” Dr. Sarah Traxler, medical director of Planned Parenthood of North Central States, said during an online news conference. “We do anticipate partner organizations that really focus on the data of abortion care will be releasing data soon so that we can actually measure the impact of this ban in Iowa.”…”

28 Oct

Abortion rights advocates rally South Florida voters to say “yes” to Amendment 4 just days before 2024 election

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Rights, abortion voting, Amendment 4, Ballot, Florida, United States

“Florida voters could put the right to get an abortion in the state's constitution on Nov. 5. If Amendment 4 passes, it would limit the state's authority to restrict abortion. With less than 10 days before the 2024 election, supporters of the amendment rallied people to get to the polls….”

27 Oct

County judge strikes down Ohio abortion ban, citing voter-approved reproductive rights amendment

AlanLatest NewsHealthcare, legislation, Ohio, Reproductive rights

The most far-reaching of Ohio’s laws restricting abortion was struck down on Thursday by a county judge who said last year’s voter-approved amendment enshrining reproductive rights renders the so-called heartbeat law unconstitutional.

27 Oct

Harris, Allred push for abortion rights in Houston while Cruz attends Trump event on border security in Austin

AlanLatest NewsReproductive rights, Texas, United States

While Texas is not a battleground state, it is competitive. The Real Clear Politics average of polls here in Texas shows Trump leads Harris by six percentage points, 51.6 percent to 45.6 percent.

26 Oct

Opinion: Expanding abortion access strengthens democracy, while abortion bans signal broader repression

AlanLatest NewsAbortion Rights, Commentary, Healthcare, Reproductive rights

Abortion is on the agenda not just in the United States but worldwide. A majority of people in developed democracies increasingly favor abortion rights and self-determination. And, in most places, laws are shifting to reflect public opinion. Since 2020, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, among others, have legalized abortion. In 2024, France adopted the right to an abortion as a “guaranteed freedom” in its constitution.

26 Oct

Reproductive health care in the Southeast hinges on Florida abortion-rights measure, doctors say

AlanLatest NewsForida Vote, Healthcare, legislation, Reproductive rights, United States

Dr. Cherise Felix says a recent patient yelled and swore at her before eventually hugging her, grateful she would no longer have to carry the planned-for baby that had died inside her. Felix provides abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics in Florida, which on May 1 banned abortion at six weeks’ gestation. She was able to see this patient, who was about 17 weeks pregnant, because of the abortion law’s limited health exceptions. But before coming to the clinic, the miscarrying patient was turned away by another OB-GYN, something Felix said happens regularly since the ban.

25 Oct

Abortion rights at forefront of Democrats’ closing arguments

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Rights, Reproductive rights, Texas, United States

Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech on reproductive health rights at a rally in Houston Friday night comes as Democrats across the country are expected to focus on the issue as they make their closing arguments of the 2024 campaign.

25 Oct

North Dakota seeks to keep abortion ban while appeal proceeds at state Supreme Court

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Ban, Healthcare, North Dakota, Reproductive rights, United States

The Attorney General’s Office has asked the North Dakota Supreme Court to keep the state’s abortion ban in effect while it mulls over a lower court’s decision finding the law unconstitutional.

24 Oct

How Abortion Misinformation Gives Rise to Restrictive Abortion Laws

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Rights, legislation, misleading statements, Reproductive rights, United States

False claims about abortions later in pregnancy are often spread to distort perceptions of when and how often pregnant people have abortions. Some have exaggerated these claims even further, falsely stating that individuals seek abortions after birth. During the presidential debate on September 10, former President Trump falsely claimed that Democrats support “abortion after birth,” equating it to execution. Despite the fact that killing a child after birth is infanticide and illegal in all states, Trump’s statement sparked outrage among anti-abortion advocates who accepted his words as fact.

24 Oct

Reproductive health care in the Southeast hinges on Florida abortion-rights measure, doctors say

PatLatest News6 week abortion ban, Abortion Ban Exceptions, Florida, legislation, Reproductive rights

Dr. Cherise Felix says a recent patient yelled and swore at her before eventually hugging her, grateful she would no longer have to carry the planned-for baby that had died inside her.

23 Oct

Missouri is voting on abortion rights. Here’s everything to know about Amendment 3

MollyLatest News, United Statesabortion amendment, Abortion Rights, abortion voting, amendment 3, Missouri, United States, Voting

“After two years of legal battles, signature gathering and fierce debates, Missouri is about to make a decision on the future of abortion rights and access in the state when it votes on Amendment 3. Missouri is one of 10 states voting on abortion rights in November 2024. About half of those could overturn current bans or restrictions, including Missouri, South Dakota, Florida, Nebraska and Arizona….”

22 Oct

Women in states with bans are getting abortions at similar rates as under Roe, report says

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion, Abortion Care, Abortion data, Health care, Reproductive care, Roe v Wade, similar rates, Statistics, United States

“Women living in states with abortion bans obtained the procedure in the second half of 2023 at about the same rate as before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a report released Tuesday. Women did so by traveling out of state or by having prescription abortion pills mailed to them, according to the #WeCount report from the Society of Family Planning, which advocates for abortion access. They increasingly used telehealth, the report found, as medical providers in states with laws intended to protection them from prosecution in other states used online appointments to prescribe abortion pills….”

21 Oct

Infants died at higher rates after abortion bans in the US, research shows

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Ban, Data, Infant mortality, infant mortality rate, Repeal, Statistics, Supreme Court, United States

“In the year and a half following the Supreme Court Dobbs decision that revoked the federal right to an abortion, hundreds more infants died than expected in the United States, new research shows. The vast majority of those infants had congenital anomalies, or birth defects. Earlier research found that infant mortality spiked in Texas after a 6-week abortion ban took effect in 2021, and experts say the new data suggests that the impacts of the bans and restrictions enacted by some states post-Dobbs have been large enough to affect broader trends….”