Abortion Ban

10 Aug

Montana voters rejected an anti-abortion measure. State GOP lawmakers passed a similar bill anyway.

MollyUnited States, , , , , , , ,
"In the months following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that gave states the power to ban abortion, voters in a half-dozen states spoke on the issue — and, in every case, chose to uphold abortion rights or reject an attempt to restrict them. Most recently, Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected a Republican-led effort to make it more difficult to change that state’s constitution, which would have set a higher bar for an abortion rights ballot initiative this fall. But the will of the electorate didn’t stop Republican lawmakers in one state, Montana, from passing a version of the anti-abortion proposal that voters…
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10 Aug

How Wisconsin’s pre-Civil War abortion ban remained untouched during decades of political battle

MollyUnited States, , , , ,
"Last summer, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, the legality of abortion was sent back to states — immediately reviving Wisconsin's pre-Civil War abortion ban.  Few if any states reverted to laws as old as Wisconsin’s. Over the nearly 50 years the ban was unenforceable, why had lawmakers never revoked it? In some ways, the answer is simple: There was never the political will. And in the years immediately following the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the political lines when it came to abortion were blurred. It would take nearly a decade for the major parties in Wisconsin,…
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04 Aug

New law to make small change to Texas’ near-total abortion ban

MollyUnited States, , , , ,
"Today, Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. Under state law, abortions are legal if the patient's life is at risk, but some doctors say that's not clearly defined. State law says doctors who perform abortions could face life in prison and fines of up to $100,000. That’s why Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, worked with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to clarify the law. “The purpose of [House Bill] 3058, the new bill, was to ensure that there was an affirmative defense for physicians, that they would not have to be concerned about liability for using their…
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02 Aug

Idaho health care providers can refer patients for abortions out of state, judge rules

MollyUnited States, , , , , , , , , ,
"A federal judge has ruled that it would violate Idaho medical providers’ free speech rights to sanction them for referring patients to out-of-state abortion services, rejecting the state attorney general’s interpretation of Idaho’s abortion ban. Idaho’s law makes it illegal to perform or attempt to perform an abortion, a crime punishable by two to five years in prison. It also makes it unlawful for health care professionals to assist in the provision or attempted provision of one, with the penalty being the suspension or loss of their medical license...."
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01 Aug

Idaho AG can’t prosecute providers for abortion referrals, federal judge orders in injunction

MollyUnited States, , , , , , ,
"A federal judge in Idaho has granted a preliminary injunction barring Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador from taking legal action against medical providers who refer patients across state lines for abortion care and denied Labrador’s request to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a 60-page opinion detailing his reasoning for the order on Monday evening. Winmill said the medical providers who sued Labrador established there was a genuine threat of prosecution that resulted in the chilling of their speech, which he called “a well-established concrete injury.” While the case proceeds, no charges can be brought by…
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01 Aug

After yearlong fight, a near-total abortion ban is going into effect in Indiana

MollyUnited States, , , , , , , ,
"A sweeping ban on most abortions is scheduled to take effect today in Indiana. It would prohibit abortions at any point during pregnancy except if the woman's life or health is seriously at risk. Abortion would be permitted before 22 weeks of pregnancy if a "lethal fetal anomaly" is detected, or until 12 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape or incest. Late Monday, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers filed a last-minute legal request with the Indiana Supreme Court, asking the justices to rehear their previous legal challenge. The move may delay the law from taking effect by a…
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29 Jul

GOP megadonor pours millions into effort to hinder Ohio abortion amendment

MollyUnited States, , , , , ,
"New campaign finance records show Illinois Republican megadonor Richard Uihlein is funding the bulk of the campaign aimed at thwarting a constitutional amendment on abortion in Ohio.  Ohio is likely the only state this year to have a measure on the ballot to enshrine abortion access into the state constitution, setting up a test case for how the issue may drive voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election. A USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll released this week found 58% of Ohioans support a constitutional amendment...."
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26 Jul

Iowa Supreme Court says the block on the state’s strict abortion law can be appealed

MollyUnited States, , , , , , ,
"Gov. Kim Reynolds can proceed with an appeal on a temporary block on the state’s new, restrictive abortion law, the Iowa Supreme Court said Tuesday. Reynolds announced her intentions to appeal last week and said it was “just a matter of time” before lawyers for the state filed the request, which they did Friday. The Iowa Supreme Court had to say whether the request could move forward...."
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25 Jul

Planned Parenthood seeks injunction for two sections of NC abortion law

MollyUnited States, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
"Planned Parenthood and a Duke Health doctor have renewed their request for a preliminary injunction against portions of North Carolina’s new abortion law. Documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court target two pieces of the law that otherwise took effect July 1. Meanwhile, the judge in the case rejected defendants’ request to delay the next hearing in the case. The new law permits abortions through 12 weeks of pregnancy, but blocks the procedure with exceptions afterward. U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles issued a June 30 order temporarily blocking one portion of the law, labeled the “IUP Documentation Requirement” in court paperwork. That…
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25 Jul

Anti-abortion group seeks to overturn injunction after Tennessee clinic closure

MollyUnited States, , , , , , , ,
"Anti-abortion protesters urged a Sixth Circuit panel on Tuesday to do away with an abortion provider's claims against the group and vacate an order stopping the group from blocking the facility's entrance, calling the matter moot since the clinic shut down last month. The group held a weeklong protest at carafem, which operated until June in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The company behind the clinic sued the anti-abortion group for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances and in September 2022 won a preliminary injunction.…
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24 Jul

Ohio abortion clinics continue to help out-of-state patients as bans are put in place

MollyUnited States, , , , , , , , ,
"As groups await legal battles on abortion, as well as hope for a November ballot initiative to include reproduction rights in the Ohio Constitution, abortion clinics are also looking to help surrounding states where bans have taken hold. Indiana has been the most recent state surrounding Ohio to see an abortion ban approved — set to start on August 1 — and with it struggles for Planned Parenthoods in the state to care for patients, even those seeking other reproductive services. While Ohio awaits the state Supreme Court’s decision in a case regarding an indefinite pause to the six-week abortion ban in the state,…
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23 Jul

Police at the hospital: Abortion battle heats up in Poland

MollyUnited States, , , , , , ,
"...An ever closer alliance between the Polish government and the Catholic Church has led to a radical tightening of abortion laws in recent years. In 2020, the PiS-controlled Constitutional Court removed the risk of serious fetal malformation as a condition allowing for legal abortion, creating a climate of fear and mistrust among doctors and women...."
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22 Jul

Abortions in Florida topped 38,000 in the first six months of 2023

MollyUnited States, , , , , , ,
"Amid a legal battle about the future of abortion rights in Florida, more than 38,000 abortions were performed in the state during the first half of 2023, according to a newly posted report on the state Agency for Health Care Administration website. The report, dated July 3, said 38,244 abortions had been performed this year...."
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22 Jul

What it’s like for doctors in Wisconsin to follow an 1849 abortion law in 2023

MollyUnited States, , , , , ,
"The three women sitting around a table at a busy lunch spot share a grim camaraderie. It’s been more than a year since an 1849 law came back into force to criminalize abortion in Wisconsin. Now these two OB-GYNs and a certified midwife find their medical training, skill, and acumen constrained by state politics. “We didn’t even know germs caused disease back then,” said Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician-gynecologist who lives in Green Bay...."
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