Healthcare

Indigenous and Filipino Women are Leading the Fight for Reproductive Justice in Guam

"Picture this: A 12-year-old girl is raped and impregnated, and because there are no abortion providers within 4,000 miles of where she lives, she must carry the pregnancy to term. It doesn’t sound like something that could happen in the United States, right? But for the people of Guåhan, what is more commonly known as the U.S. unincorporated territory of Guam, this was the reality in 2019, even when Roe v. Wade was still law. That year, the only abortion provider on the island retired — and it was this story that sparked the creation of Famalao’an Rights, a reproductive justice initiative fighting for…
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City Council resolution would shield abortion seekers in Baltimore from out-of-state prosecution

"Baltimore City Council is taking on a bill to further protect abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution. Baltimore City Council resolution 185-r would prevent the city from retaining records that might be used to retaliate against people seeking abortion care. "Health care should be protected, especially reproductive health care," said Karen Nelson, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland. Maryland passed a law this year protecting patient information from being shared out-of-state without permission...."
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Russia limits women’s access to abortion, citing demographic changes

"...Terminating a pregnancy is a legal and widely available procedure in Russia, but in recent weeks and months, a flurry of new laws appear to limit abortion access amid fears of further population declines and a push towards conservatism. In August and November, two Russian regions – Mordovia and Tver – passed laws punishing anyone found to “coerce” women into abortions. In October, lawmakers approved legislation restricting access to abortion drugs, measures that could also affect the sale of some contraceptives...."
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Idaho asks US Supreme Court to allow near-total abortion ban

"Idaho officials on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily halt a federal judge's ruling that blocked the Republican-governed state from enforcing its near-total abortion ban in medical-emergency situations following a legal challenge by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. Republican state officials urged the justices to pause U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill's August 2022 preliminary injunction issued after he concluded that the state's abortion restrictions conflicted with a federal law that ensures that patients can receive emergency "stabilizing care."..."
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Abortions rose 5% in year before Roe was overturned: CDC

"The number of abortions in the U.S. increased 5% the year before Roe v. Wade was overturned, with women in their 20s accounting for nearly 6 in 10 of the procedures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday. Why it matters: The 2021 data from CDC's annual abortion incidence report track with earlier research showing demand for abortions was trending upward before the Supreme Court struck down federal protection of the procedure. 53% of procedures that year were medication abortions — and use of abortion pills at or before nine weeks of gestation rose 3% from 2020 to 2021...."
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Alliance Defending Freedom asks U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in Idaho abortion case

"Attorneys for two national law firms have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a federal case in Idaho regarding whether emergency room physicians can continue to be shielded from prosecution under the state’s abortion ban. If the court were to grant the motion, ER doctors in Idaho would again be subject to criminal penalties and loss of medical licenses for performing an abortion unless it qualified under the state exception to save the pregnant patient’s life...."
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Texas businesses say abortion ban costs state nearly $15 billion a year

"40 Texas companies and business leaders are entering the fight against Texas’ abortion ban, filing a brief with the Texas Supreme Court that argues the “ambiguity” in the laws medical exceptions cost the state an estimated $14.5 billion in lost revenue every year. Austin-based dating app giant Bumble is leading the effort, submitting an amicus brief ahead of the high court’s arguments in Zurawski v. Texas. Lead plaintiff Amanda Zurawski is challenging the state’s abortion ban after she nearly died of sepsis due to a pregnancy complication. She says the Texas abortion ban’s vague medical exceptions prevented her doctor from providing a…
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Abortions in Alaska can only be performed by doctors. Is that about to change?

"Only doctors can perform abortions in Alaska, according to a 50-year-old law. That means advanced practice clinicians, such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives can’t perform abortions in the state, even when they have the proper training. And non-physicians aren’t allowed to prescribe pills to induce abortion, either. Planned Parenthood’s Alaska chapter argues that this restriction limits access to abortion. So, the chapter filed a lawsuit against the state in 2018 to challenge the law.  Superior Court Judge Josie Garton heard arguments in the case the week of Nov. 13 in an Anchorage courtroom...."
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Why the abortion issue matters

“American Elections Are About Abortion Now,” reads the headline over a New York Times column. New York magazine puts it more bluntly: “Abortion Wins Elections.” Every voter cares about many issues. Every election turns on many factors. Without a doubt, however, abortion gives the Democrats enormous leverage to counteract Joe Biden’s considerable weaknesses. As party strategist Tom Bonior wrote in his Times essay, “abortion could plausibly be the deciding factor next November.”
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What to know about abortion and the 2024 election

Perhaps no issue is thornier for the 2024 Republican presidential primary candidates than abortion. Republican leaders widely cheered the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. But since then, they have found that going too far on abortion restrictions can be a political liability.
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Lawyers for religious leaders challenging Missouri abortion ban say law imposes beliefs on everyone

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri lawmakers intended to “impose their religious beliefs on everyone" in the state when they passed a restrictive abortion ban, lawyers for a group of religious leaders who support abortion rights said at a court hearing Thursday.
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