Pat – REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALERTS

18 Feb

Women’s caucus pushes access to child care, health care as legislative priorities

PatLatest NewsHealthcare, Maryland

15 priority bills span topics ranging from tax credits for child care facilities to better access to cancer screenings

18 Feb

Anti-abortion ‘Baby Olivia’ video could become required viewing for some schoolkids

PatLatest NewsAnti-abortion, Healthcare, Propaganda, United States

Grade school students in several Republican-led states may soon be required to watch a fetal development video produced by a prominent anti-abortion group as part of their curricula. Live Action uploaded the “Baby Olivia” video featuring a British narrator and “Bridgerton”-esque background music in August 2021. It has since racked up more than 9 million views. The organization says that the clip was reviewed and accredited by a group of doctors. They are all affiliated with anti-abortion or Christian organizations: American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Pediatricians, Charlotte Lozier Institute, Christian Academic Physicians and Scientists, and Christian Medical and Dental…

17 Feb

EU says it ‘cannot fill’ USAID funding gap as Africa seeks solutions

PatLatest NewsAfrica, EU, International, Reproductive rights

The European Union said it cannot plug the funding gap left by the United States suspending aid programs, as governments across Africa try to keep critical health care services running. The US is the largest single aid donor in the world, disbursing some $72 billion in assistance in 2023, much of it through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In that same year the EU, the largest collective donor, contributed almost $100 billion.

08 Feb

AAMC Statement on Drastic Cuts to NIH-Funded Research

PatLatest NewsAAMC, Association of American Medical Colleges, NIH, Trump, Women's Health

“The administration’s announcement that it plans to cut federal support of biomedical research by drastically reducing reimbursement of research costs related to peer-reviewed grants from the NIH will diminish the nation’s research capacity, slowing scientific progress and depriving patients, families, and communities across the country of new treatments, diagnostics, and preventative interventions.

07 Feb

After ‘Abortion’ Was Wiped From CDC Website, Users Now Get ‘Adoption’ Info

PatLatest NewsAnti-abortion, Healthcare, Messaging, Reproductive rights, United States

The change was made while federal health care webpages were taken offline. Reproductive health workers call it a "clear attempt" to change the messaging around pregnancy. Meanwhile, health care centers and clinics nationwide are making tough calls after the White House instituted a funding freeze.

29 Jan

Stopping the Abuse of Tech in Surveilling and Criminalizing Abortion

PatLatest NewsAbortion Care, Data Security, Healthcare, Reproductive rights, United States

Apps and consumer data could be weaponized to criminalize those seeking, providing, and supporting abortion care, and policymakers and individual Americans should act to protect private reproductive health information.

29 Jan

Trump health pick Kennedy faces US Senate scrutiny over vaccine, abortion views

PatLatest NewsAbortion Rights, GOP, Healthcare, Reproductive rights, United States

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's pick to lead the top U.S. health agency, is set to face a grilling from Senate Democrats and Republicans on Wednesday over his views on vaccines, abortion, and potential conflicts of interest. Kennedy, 70, will appear in front of the Senate Finance Committee at 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT) on Wednesday. While that committee is responsible for advancing his nomination to the full Senate, Kennedy is also scheduled to appear in front of a second Senate panel that oversees health on Thursday.

28 Jan

Trump orders ban foreign aid, rescind federal funds guidance for abortion

PatLatest NewsAnti-abortion, GOP, Project 2025, Trump, United States

The executive orders follow directives from Project 2025

15 Jan

Live Far From a Clinic? Telehealth Abortion Services Are on the Rise

PatLatest NewsAbortion Rights, Healthcare, Reproductive rights, Telehealth, travel, United States

Women who live far from an abortion clinic depend on telehealth and mail to obtain access to medication abortion, a new study says. Each 100-mile increase in distance from an abortion provider increased telehealth requests for abortion pills by about 61%, researchers reported in a new study published Jan. 8 in the American Journal of Public Health.

14 Jan

Voters Backed Abortion Rights But State Judges Have Final Say

PatLatest NewsAbortion Rights, Healthcare, legislation, United States

In November, Montana voters safeguarded the right to abortion in the state’s constitution. They also elected a new chief justice to the Montana Supreme Court who was endorsed by anti-abortion advocates. That seeming contradiction is slated to come to a head this year. People on polar sides of the abortion debate are preparing to fight over how far the protection for abortion extends, and the final say will likely come from the seven-person state Supreme Court. With the arrival of new Chief Justice Cory Swanson, who ran as a judicial conservative for the nonpartisan seat and was sworn in Jan. 6,…

10 Jan

Missouri senator renews push to ban shackling of pregnant women in city, county jails

PatLatest NewsIncarceration, Missouri, Pregnancy, Shackling

Seven years ago, Missouri banned the shackling of pregnant women in state prisons. State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from Arnold, is hoping to expand the law this year to include city and county jails.https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-bill-ban-shackling-pregnant-women-jails/

09 Jan

Researcher warns about Christian nationalism’s influence on reproductive rights

PatLatest NewsChristian Nationalism, Healthcare, Reproductive rights, United States

There are growing concerns about the prevalence of Christian Nationalism, an ideology that seeks to establish a theocracy rooted in Christian principles. Research indicates that about one-in-three Pennsylvanians support Christian Nationalist views, which opponents argue challenge the American ideal of separation of church and state.

08 Jan

How climate change impairs reproductive health

PatLatest NewsHealthcare, Reproductive Health, Research

The interplay of rising global temperatures and air pollution exacerbates risks, underlining the need for urgent measures to safeguard future generations

25 Dec

For those of you who celebrate, we wish you a happy holiday

PatLatest News

From Toby's Fund for Reproductive Health Equity

24 Dec

The Supreme Court Prepares to Take Its First Shot at Contraception

PatLatest NewsContraception, Planned Parenthood, Reproductive rights, SCOTUS, United States

A case just added to the high court’s docket takes on the question of whether Medicaid can be used to pay for services at medical providers that also perform abortions.