Bills Classifying Abortion as Homicide Fizzle; Dems Move to Fortify Shield Laws

Proposals to crack down on the availability of abortion medication are advancing in several Republican-led legislatures.

https://murica.website/2026/02/bills-classifying-abortion-as-homicide-fizzle-dems-move-to-fortify-shield-laws/

Bills Classifying Abortion as Homicide Fizzle; Dems Move to Fortify Shield Laws – The USA Potato

California doctor first to face lawsuit under Texas' bounty hunter abortion pill ban

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/politics/california-doctor-texas-abortion-pill

RFK Jr.'s HHS investigates Seattle Children's Hospital over youth gender-affirming care

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/politics/rfk-hhs-seattle-childrens-hospital

Here's what Zohran Mamdani has promised to do for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers as mayor

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.advocate.com/politics/zohran-mamdani-lgbtq-campaign-promises

A New York judge dismissed Texas AG Ken Paxton’s lawsuit aiming to force a New York doctor to send abortion pills to Texas, citing New York’s shield law protecting providers. The law prevents states from enforcing subpoenas or extraditions against providers who offer legal medical services in NY, including abortion pills via telemedicine. The judge ruled Paxton’s claim insufficient, affirming that Dr. Carpenter’s actions are legal in New York and protected under the law. This marks a significant legal victory for states defending reproductive rights amid interstate legal battles. Want to learn more about shield laws and their impact? https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/health/new-york-texas-abortion-shield-lawsuit.html #ReproductiveRights #ShieldLaw #AbortionAccess #LegalBattles #StatesRights #Telemedicine
New York Judge Dismisses Texas Challenge to the State’s Abortion Shield Law

The lawsuit was filed against an Ulster County clerk who rebuffed an attempt to enforce a Texas judgment against a New York doctor for sending abortion pills to that state.

The New York Times

#NY has a #ShieldLaw that is intended to protect #AbortionProviders who send medications to patients in other states.

New York is 1 of 8 states that have enacted “telemedicine abortion shield laws” after #SCOTUS overturned the national right to an #abortion in 2022. The laws prevent ofcls from extraditing abortion providers to other states or from responding to subpoenas & other #legal actions…

The action by the NY court is the first time that an abortion shield law has been used.

#law #Texas

#Trump issues #fascist #marchingorders tells #US #Senate #Republicans they ‘must #kill#Journalism #shieldlaw.

“REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!” Trump wrote on his #Propaganda #site, #TruthSocial, in all capital letters on Wednesday, linking to a #PBS #segment about the #measure.

https://virginiamercury.com/2024/11/25/dc/trump-tells-u-s-senate-republicans-they-must-kill-journalism-shield-law/

Trump tells U.S. Senate Republicans they 'must kill' journalism shield law • Virginia Mercury

The measure would limit federal law enforcement surveillance of journalists and the government’s ability to force disclosure of journalists’ sources.

Virginia Mercury

#UnicornRiot #DAPL Legal Defense Fund

(Update Nov. 14, 2024) "December 10: #ACLU Will Represent Unicorn Riot at #MinnesotaSupremeCourt Hearing in Latest Filing From Years-long DAPL Protest Suit

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Minnesota, together with the law firm Simatic & Biersdorf, PA, filed a brief in the Minnesota Supreme Court on Oct. 21 on behalf of nonprofit media organization Unicorn Riot, which seeks to quash a subpoena from oil company Energy Transfer stemming from the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests. The brief asserts that the First Amendment and the Minnesota Free Flow of Information Act (MFFIA) protect Unicorn Riot from Energy Transfer’s attempts to subpoena sensitive communications, recordings, and other unreleased newsgathering materials from DAPL protests.

"Oral arguments are set to be heard in Minnesota’s Supreme Court on Dec. 10, 2024 at 9 a.m. in the Minnesota Judicial Center, Courtroom 300.

"The First Amendment and Minnesota’s shield law protect journalists from attempts to use the courts to compel the disclosure of sensitive newsgathering information. A free press and the free flow of information to the public both depend on journalists’ ability to capture content and tell stories without fear of costly litigation that puts their unpublished materials at risk,” said Matthew Segal, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s State Supreme Court Initiative.

"Unicorn Riot journalists reported on the ground from the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, gathering and publishing first-hand accounts. In 2019, pipeline operator Energy Transfer sued individuals and entities that were allegedly involved with the protests.

"In 2021, as part of the lawsuit, Energy Transfer issued subpoenas to Unicorn Riot and one of its member journalists seeking vast disclosures of unpublished materials. Unicorn Riot refused to surrender its material, and in 2022 – roughly six years after the protests – Energy Transfer moved to compel disclosure in Minnesota. In its motion papers, Energy Transfer alleged that Unicorn Riot had trespassed on its property while covering the protests. The Minnesota Court of Appeals earlier this year held that the Minnesota Free Flow of Information Act prohibits the compelled disclosure of newsgathering materials. Energy Transfer sought review at the Minnesota Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case.

"'This case is about more than just our small media organization. It represents the broader fight for the right to gather and disseminate information freely, without corporate interference — an essential cornerstone of press freedom,' said Unicorn Riot."

Read more / donate:
https://donorbox.org/unicorn-riot-nodapl-legal-defense

#MFFIA #NoDAPL #StandWithStandingRock #FirstAmendment #ShieldLaw #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #EnergyTransfer #Censorship #Journalism

Unicorn Riot DAPL Legal Defense Fund | Unicorn Riot (Powered by Donorbox)

Minnesota Supreme Court Rules on Unicorn Riot DAPL SubpoenaUnicorn Riot’s long legal battle in Minnesota to protect newsgathering materials from attorneys working for Energy Transfer reached yet another phase: The Minnesota Supreme Court released ...

Weird moment where the CWA News Guild demands emails to reporters in the context of a sexual harassment allegation and defamation lawsuit by a union official. Last I heard, shield laws protecting reporters were a CWA priority. That shouldn't be a "flexible" principle, even if the union is pissed off. #CWA #Shieldlaw #Journalism https://www.semafor.com/article/10/15/2023/journalists-union-seeks-reporters-sources-emails-in-lawsuit
Journalist union seeks reporters’, sources’ emails in lawsuit | Semafor

The NewsGuild is seeking my emails via a legal motion that serves as a strange coda to a story about how the union and newsroom management were slow to respond to complaints of sexual misconduct.

AHLA - SB 345: California’s Abortion Shield Law and the Potential Impact on Medication Abortion Access Nationwide