Abortion Rights

Revisiting restricted reproductive rights in 2025: what do we need to know now?

In the aftermath of the 2022 Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision on access to reproductive healthcare, we published a commentary in this journal to inform the infectious diseases (ID) community about anticipated worsening of maternal and neonatal sepsis outcomes and relevant stewardship and healthcare associated infection issues. Three years later, we seek to keep the ID community engaged with important updates and intensify their commitment to providing high-quality care and reduce disparate health outcomes in this vulnerable population.
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Trump shifted the 9th Circuit to the right. What that means for abortion and reproductive care

President "Trump had a particularly significant impact on the 9th Circuit" in his first term, moving the reliably liberal appeals court to the right. That could influence abortion policy in the West. For decades the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has been a reliable stronghold for liberal ideals, but that changed during President Donald Trump's first term thanks to the 10 appointments he made.
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Minors’ Ability to Consent to Contraception and Abortion Services

Across the country, minors’ ability to consent to their health care, particularly their reproductive health care, varies significantly. Expanding “parental rights’ in health and education has been a priority for politically conservative groups and was outlined as a “top-tier” right by the Heritage Foundation in Project 2025. While parental involvement in health care can facilitate access and improve outcomes, it is not always possible for teens to include parents in decisions about sensitive health care decisions. Some teens, particularly those who have unstable home lives, are in foster care, or fear abuse if their parents were to become aware they are seeking…
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Congresswoman Friedman Announces Legislation to Restore Planned Parenthood Funding

U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30) held a press conference at West Hollywood City Hall alongside city officials, members of local Planned Parenthoods, and healthcare providers to introduce the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act. Friedman’s new bicameral legislation aims to repeal a recently enacted Republican ban on Medicaid reimbursements for services provided at Planned Parenthood clinics. The bill is seen as a critical step toward protecting vital and affordable healthcare services that millions of Americans rely on.
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Floridians for Reproductive Freedom: Reproductive Rights News Roundup

Nationally, there has been a lot of talk about “shield laws”; laws that exist to protect those who support others accessing abortions. For example, in Massachusetts, providers, patients, and pharmacists are shielded from out-of-state investigations and legal actions around abortion. This is one way that patients are still getting abortion care in states where abortion is banned or inaccessible. 
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Taxes, religious freedom, and additional out-of-the-box proposals

Both proponents and opponents of abortion have invoked creative approaches to advance their positions. For example, abortion choice proponents in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Utah and Wyoming have challenged the states’ laws on grounds that they violate individuals’ religious freedom. Anti-abortion advocates, in response, also hold up religious freedom as a plausible defense to being required to perform or otherwise facilitate the procedure. The rulings in these cases, all of which remain outstanding at time of publication, will set important precedent. In other states, legislative proposals tied to the concept of religious freedom are being actively debated. In late February 2023, for example, legislation passed the West Virginia House Judiciary…
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How US adults feel about legal abortion 3 years after Roe was overturned, according to AP-NORC poll

"Three years after the Supreme Court opened the door to state abortion bans, most U.S. adults say abortion should be legal -- views that look similar to before the landmark ruling. The new findings from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll show that about two-thirds of U.S. adults think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. About half believe abortion should be available in their state if someone does not want to be pregnant for any reason...."
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