legislation

How abortion rights fared in 2023 is a mixed bag

The absence of a constitutional guarantee to the right to an abortion has led to a deeply inconsistent landscape of reproductive policy across the map. This year, voters in many states resoundingly elected officials who stood for abortion rights over those who vowed to enact restrictions. Yet, state lawmakers elsewhere implemented draconian abortion bans that would have been unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade, and we saw officials go to great lengths to prosecute, intimidate and shame individuals under those laws.
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Wisconsin is not out of the woods on abortion 

"Wisconsinites breathed a sigh of relief this month when Dane County Judge Diane Schlipper ruled that our 1849 “abortion ban” doesn’t actually apply to consensual abortions. On the strength of that ruling, Planned Parenthood has begun offering abortion services again at clinics in Madison, Milwaukee, and Sheboygan for the first time since the 2022 Dobbs decision ending federally protected abortion rights. But the battle over abortion rights isn’t over. Sheboygan District Attorney Joel Urmanski is appealing Schlipper’s ruling, pushing for a full felony abortion ban. Urmanski previously promised to prosecute anyone involved in providing an abortion under the 1849 law...."
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Advocates propose amending Montana Constitution to guarantee abortion rights

 "If advocates are successful, Montana voters may have a chance next year to decide whether access to abortion should be specifically protected in the state constitution. A proposed constitutional amendment, backed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana, would add language to the Montana Constitution, establishing “a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion.”..."
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North Dakota judge to decide whether to temporarily block part of abortion law that limits doctors

"A North Dakota judge said Wednesday he will decide soon whether to temporarily block a part of the state's revised abortion laws so doctors can perform the procedure to save a patient's life or health. The request for a preliminary injunction asks state District Court Judge Bruce Romanick to bar the state from enforcing the law against physicians who use their “good-faith medical judgment” to perform an abortion because of pregnancy complications that could pose "a risk of infection, hemorrhage, high blood pressure, or which otherwise makes continuing a pregnancy unsafe.”
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Illinois Law Targeting ‘Deceptive’ Anti-Abortion Ministries Officially Scrapped

"So-called pregnancy crisis centers are now free to use any means to reach potential clients in Illinois without threat of running afoul of a state law designed to rein in their messaging. Illinois’ new law banning “deceptive” practices by anti-abortion ministries, passed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, is scrapped before ever materially taking effect...."
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Proposed abortion law sparks debate

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missouri lawmakers are renewing a call for the state to take an anti-abortion step that goes further than prominent anti-abortion groups want to go and that has not gained much traction in any state so far: a law that would allow homicide charges against women who obtain abortions.
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‘It was a wake-up call’: After Roe v. Wade, French lawmakers seek to enshrine abortion rights

When the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, French women were paying close attention. They watched with alarm as those across the Atlantic lost their long-standing right to abortion, seemingly overnight. What if France came next?
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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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Texas Supreme Court considers abortion challenge

"The Supreme Court of Texas heard arguments Tuesday in a landmark case that could impact how the state’s abortion laws apply to medically complicated pregnancies. In August, state District Judge Jessica Mangrum ruled that the near-total abortion ban cannot be enforced in cases involving complicated pregnancies, including lethal fetal diagnoses. The state immediately appealed that ruling, putting it on hold. Texas law allows abortions only when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant patient. But this lawsuit, filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in March, claims that doctors are unsure when the medical exception applies, resulting in delayed or…
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