Rhode Island governor signs bill to fund abortion coverage for state workers and Medicaid recipients

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee signed a bill into law Thursday that would let state funds be used to pay for health insurance plans that cover state workers and Medicaid recipients seeking abortions.

Texas Abortion Ban: Woman Claims She Was Forced to Birth Stillborn Son

“I was told that if I tried to discharge myself, or seek care elsewhere, that I could be arrested for trying to kill my child”

Male Republican Senators Ignore Women, Vote for Abortion Ban in South Carolina

Despite pleas from their five female colleagues, the men of the Republican-led South Carolina Senate voted to ban abortion after six weeks on Tuesday.

Indiana doctor reprimanded, fined $3,000 for talking publicly about Ohio 10-year-old's abortion

A hearing on whether an Indianapolis doctor should face disciplinary action after she spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio opened with finger pointing over how the case became a political flashpoint.

Court Temporarily Blocks South Carolina Abortion Ban

Nevada Republican governor approves abortion protections in cross-party move

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo has signed a bill enshrining existing protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers. The move on Tuesday marks a rare occurrence of a Republican governor approving measures that are part of Democrats’ vow to make the western swing state an abortion safe haven. The bill codifies former Gov. Steve Sisolak's executive order from last year. Sisolak lost reelection to Lombardo. The executive order bars state agencies from assisting other states in out-of-state investigations that could lead to prosecution of abortion patients. It also ensures medical boards and commissions that oversee medical licenses do not discipline or disqualify doctors who provide abortions.

New York AG hits anti-abortion group with lawsuit for blocking access to health care clinics

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Thursday against an anti-abortion group, Red Rose Rescue, alleging its members have repeatedly blocked entrances to health clinics and have “made it their mission to terrorize reproductive health care providers and the patients they serve.” “Only we have the right to make decisions about our own…

Twitter restricted Democrat’s abortion-rights ad—but platform may backpedal

Twitter ad policy restricting abortion advocacy may soon change, employee says.

Health care providers in North Carolina file lawsuit against state over abortion restrictions

Health care providers in North Carolina filed a lawsuit against the state challenging the constitutionality of various provisions of its abortion ban.  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the lawsuit on behalf of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and physician Beverly Gray. The suit challenges the legitimacy of North Carolina’s Senate Bill 20, which bans…

In rare 3-3 decision, Iowa Supreme Court declines to reinstate law largely banning abortion

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Abortion will remain legal in Iowa after the state's high court declined Friday to reinstate a law that would have largely banned the procedure, rebuffing Republican Gov.

Senate Confirms Prominent Abortion-Rights Lawyer To Be A Federal Judge

Julie Rikelman, who represented an abortion clinic in the landmark Supreme Court case that gutted Roe v. Wade, will now serve on a U.S. appeals court.

New York moves to protect doctors sending abortion pills into states with bans 

The New York state legislature approved a bill Tuesday that will protect medical providers for serving those who live in states with bans on abortion. This law could expand the use of telehealth for those seeking abortions, especially those who are from states who have restricted access to abortion care. The bill will shield providers…

Judge suspends Wyoming’s ban on abortion pills amid lawsuit

A federal judge paused Wyoming’s first-in-the-nation ban on medicated abortion pills on Thursday, citing an ongoing lawsuit over the law’s constitutionality. The ban, signed by the state’s governor in March, was set to be implemented on July 1.  The law concerns two abortion pills, one of which, mifepristone, had its FDA approval challenged earlier this…

Kansas' attorney general is moving to block trans people from changing their birth certificates

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Transgender people born in Kansas could be prevented from changing their birth certificates to reflect their gender identities if the state’s conservative Republican attorney is successful with a legal move he launched late Friday.

'If you’re pregnant you shouldn’t travel here': Tennessee's Planned Parenthood issues severe warning

Planned Parenthood officials in Tennessee issued a severe warning for pregnant people not to travel to the state.The warning came one year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion rights. Tennessee passed a near-total, with scant exceptions for ectopic and molar pregnancies. An abor...

Minnesota sees spike in abortion, amid increase in out-of-state patients: report

Minnesota saw a 20 percent spike in abortions in 2022, amid an increase in patients traveling from outside of the state, according to an annual state report. There were 12,175 abortions performed in the state last year, up from 10,138 in 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health report found. While 10 percent of patients came from…

Indiana Supreme Court upholds near-total abortion ban

Indiana’s top court ruled Friday that the state’s near-total abortion ban is constitutional and lifted a preliminary injunction that had been blocking the law from taking effect. Writing for three of the five Supreme Court justices, Justice Derek Molter said the Constitution “protects a woman’s right to an abortion that is necessary to protect her…

Federal Judge Blocks Certain Provisions In North Carolina Abortion Ban

The 12-week abortion ban will take effect, but the temporary injunction will allow patients to obtain medication abortions at early stages of their pregnancy.

Iowa Republicans pass six-week abortion ban, setting up new court challenge

Iowa lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, weeks after the state Supreme Court deadlocked on whether the state’s current ban was enforceable. The bill’s passage sets up another legal challenge, as abortion rights groups said they would fight the new law.  Republicans hold large majorities in…

Abortion in Iowa is legal again, for now, after a judge blocks new restrictions

An Iowa judge temporarily blocked the state’s new ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy days after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the measure into law. The judge’s decision on Monday means abortion is once again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy while the courts assess the new law’s constitutionality. The new law prohibits almost all abortions once cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. It has been in effect since Friday as the judge made his decision.

Texas Denied Her Abortion Care. She Threw Up In Court Recalling Her Trauma.

Several Texas women suing the state over what they say are deeply confusing restrictions shared their harrowing stories in court on Wednesday.

Ohio abortion ballot measure meets signature requirement for November

Ohio announced Tuesday that abortion rights advocates have met the signature requirement to place a measure on the Nov. 7 ballot that would codify abortion rights into the state constitution. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) certified petitioners received a total of 495,938 valid signatures, exceeding the required minimum of 413,446 signatures — equal…

Abortion advocates sue Alabama AG over prosecution threats for out-of-state travel

A group that supports people who need out-of-state abortions in the Deep South sued Alabama’s Republican attorney general Monday, following his threats to prosecute anyone who assists residents who want to travel out of state for an abortion. The Yellowhammer Fund argued that Attorney General Steve Marshall’s threats create an illegal chilling effect on the…

A judge has ruled Texas' abortion ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications

A Texas judge says the state’s abortion ban has proven too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications and must allow exceptions without the risk of doctors facing criminal charges. The ruling Friday is the first to undercut Texas’ abortion ban since it took effect last year. However, the state attorney general’s office said the injunction was immediately blocked by an appeal it filed to the Texas Supreme Court. Even so, the decision delivers a major victory to abortion rights supporters who see the case as a potential blueprint to weaken restrictions that Republicans have rushed to implement elsewhere in the U.S.

Fall abortion battle propels huge early voter turnout for an Ohio special election next week

Republicans in Ohio have set in motion a summer special election over a measure that would make it harder for voters to pass future constitutional amendments. The Legislature acted in the spring to put the question on the August ballot and so far the election is driving off-the-charts early turnout before Tuesday’s final day of voting. And helping to generate the high interest is a November ballot measure that would enshrine in Ohio's Constitution the right to an abortion. Early turnout on the summer ballot measure, known as Issue 1, has been so heavy that some election offices are straining to manage the load and are trying to recruit additional poll workers.

One Woman’s Story Of Self-Managing Her Abortion In Ohio

Managing your own abortion is not a crime in Ohio, but a politically motivated prosecutor might believe Julia should be punished for what she did.

13-Year-Old Rape Victim Forced to Give Birth Due to Mississippi’s Abortion Ban

It’s a story that experts believe will become more common after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling last year.

Texas lawsuit could bankrupt Planned Parenthood in the state

A lawsuit argued in a federal court in Texas on Tuesday could force Planned Parenthood to give the state — and an anonymous whistleblower — more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments and fines. The organization has said a decision in favor of the state would bankrupt every Texas affiliate, forcing the state’s remaining Planned…

Man who set fire to Planned Parenthood sentenced to 10 years in prison

The man who pleaded guilty to setting a Planned Parenthood location on fire in Peoria, Ill., was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday. Tyler Massengill pleaded guilty to burning the office in February. According to investigators, on Jan. 15, Massengill made a firebomb from what is believed to be a laundry detergent container filled…

Abortion pill can remain on market but with restrictions, appeals court rules

The common abortion pill mifepristone will remain available to patients but with restrictions, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday. However, the decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit will remain on hold until the Supreme Court decides to take up the case. The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that mifepristone and…

South Carolina’s ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban upheld as constitutional

South Carolina’s law banning abortion after detection of a fetal “heartbeat” is legal, and there is no constitutional right to an abortion, the state Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday.  The legislation, which was signed into earlier this spring by Gov. Henry McMaster (R), bans abortions after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, which is usually at…

The First Republican Presidential Debate Was Rife With Abortion Misinformation

“Abortions on demand,” “born alive abortions” and other fact-free claims were on display at the first GOP debate.

Backers blast approved ballot language for Ohio's fall abortion amendment as misleading

The Ohio Ballot Board has approved language for a fall abortion measure that Democrats and the issue's backers are criticizing as inaccurate. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights is considering litigation. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, an abortion opponent, developed the language. It changes the word “fetus” to “unborn child,” and suggests that the amendment would prohibit citizens from limiting abortion access when it would actually limit the government from doing so. Ohio Right to Life's president said he likes the language. The abortion measure will be November's Issue 1. A proposal to legalize recreational marijuana will be Issue 2.

West Virginia can restrict abortion pill sales, judge rules, despite FDA approval that it's safe

A federal judge has ruled that West Virginia can restrict the sale of the abortion pill. That's despite federal regulators’ approval of it as a safe and effective medication. U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers determined Thursday that the near-total abortion ban signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice in September 2022 takes precedence over approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Chambers dismissed most challenges brought against the state by abortion pill manufacturer GenBioPro, Inc. Chambers will allow a challenge by the manufacturer concerning telehealth to proceed, however. In a statement Friday, GenBioPro CEO Evan Masingill said the company remains “confident in the legal strength” of its case and is considering next steps.

Conservative activists are pushing ‘trafficking’ laws to prevent women from traveling for an abortion

Anti-abortion activists are looking to highways as a new battleground in their efforts to prevent people from accessing abortions. A central Texas town attempted to make it illegal for people to travel on certain roads through their jurisdiction for the purpose of receiving an abortion, a novel strategy which may prove the future for anti-abortion…

Florida supreme court signals openness to abortion ban that would slash access

Five of seven justices on court were selected by Governor Ron DeSantis and decision would have ramifications across south-east

Planned Parenthood to resume providing abortions in Wisconsin

Planned Parenthood said Thursday that it will resume providing abortions in Wisconsin following a July court ruling that found a law from 1849 doesn’t apply to voluntary abortions. The organization said abortions would resume Monday at clinics in Milwaukee and Madison. Planned Parenthood is the state’s largest abortion provider, but those services have been paused…

Indiana attorney general sues hospital system over privacy of Ohio girl who traveled for abortion

Indiana’s attorney general has sued the state’s largest hospital system, claiming it violated patient privacy laws when a doctor publicly shared the story of an Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion. Friday's lawsuit marks Attorney General Todd Rokita’s latest attempt to seek disciplinary legal action against Dr. Caitlin Bernard. The doctor’s account of a 10-year-old girl traveling to Indiana to receive abortion drugs became a flashpoint in the national abortion debate days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.

Ohio Supreme Court allows ‘unborn child’ language to stay in abortion ballot measure

Ohio’s Supreme Court late Tuesday ruled that much of the GOP-controlled state ballot board’s language to describe a November question about abortion is accurate, dealing a blow to the abortion rights groups that challenged the board’s description. The sharply divided court said only one element of the description is misleading and must be rewritten. The…

California files lawsuit against organizations promoting unproven abortion pill reversal treatment

California sued two organizations over unproven treatments that claim to reverse medication abortions in the state’s Superior Court in Alameda County Thursday. “Those who are struggling with the complex decision to get an abortion deserve support and trustworthy guidance — not lies and misinformation,” California Attorney General Robert Bonta (D) said in a statement. “And…