WEATHER ALERT
Uphill battles that put abortion rights on ballots are unlikely to end even if the measures pass
Read full article: Uphill battles that put abortion rights on ballots are unlikely to end even if the measures passVoters in nine states are deciding next month whether to add the right to abortion to their constitutions.
After years of fighting Iowa's strict abortion law, clinics also prepared to follow it
Read full article: After years of fighting Iowa's strict abortion law, clinics also prepared to follow itIowa is set to join more than a dozen other states where abortion access has been sharply curbed since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Planned Parenthood says it will spend $40 million on abortion rights ahead of November's election
Read full article: Planned Parenthood says it will spend $40 million on abortion rights ahead of November's electionPlanned Parenthood's political and advocacy arms will spend $40 million ahead of November’s elections to bolster the campaigns of President Joe Biden and leading congressional Democrats.
Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging federal rules to accommodate abortions for workers
Read full article: Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging federal rules to accommodate abortions for workersA lawsuit challenging federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions lacks standing, a federal judge in Arkansas ruled on Friday.
Judge says South Carolina can enforce 6-week abortion ban amid dispute over when a heartbeat begins
Read full article: Judge says South Carolina can enforce 6-week abortion ban amid dispute over when a heartbeat beginsA state judge has ruled that South Carolina can continue to enforce a ban on nearly all abortions around six weeks after conception as an appeal continues on what exactly defines a heartbeat under the law.
What defines a heartbeat? Judge hears arguments in South Carolina abortion case
Read full article: What defines a heartbeat? Judge hears arguments in South Carolina abortion caseSouth Carolina’s ban on abortions after roughly six weeks is back in court and centered on the definition of fetal heartbeat.
17 states challenge federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortion
Read full article: 17 states challenge federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortionSeventeen states are challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions.
Planned Parenthood announces $10 million voter campaign in North Carolina for 2024 election
Read full article: Planned Parenthood announces $10 million voter campaign in North Carolina for 2024 electionPlanned Parenthood affiliated groups have announced a $10 million voter engagement campaign in North Carolina for the 2024 election.
Arizona's abortion ban is likely to cause a scramble for services in states where it's still legal
Read full article: Arizona's abortion ban is likely to cause a scramble for services in states where it's still legalDoctors and clinic leaders say there’ll be a scramble across the Southwest and West for abortion care.
What to know about the latest court rulings, data and legislation on abortion in the US
Read full article: What to know about the latest court rulings, data and legislation on abortion in the USA judge in Montana ruled against restrictions in one of several developments this week on how abortion works in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
It's taking longer to schedule abortions in the US. Doctors fear riskier, more complex procedures
Read full article: It's taking longer to schedule abortions in the US. Doctors fear riskier, more complex proceduresObstacles to obtaining an abortion are more common since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Anti-abortion groups demand liberal Wisconsin prosecutors charge abortion providers despite ruling
Read full article: Anti-abortion groups demand liberal Wisconsin prosecutors charge abortion providers despite rulingA coalition of anti-abortion organizations is urging two Wisconsin prosecutors to pursue charges against abortion providers in their counties despite a court's ruling that abortion is legal.
Indiana's near-total abortion ban set to take effect as state Supreme Court denies rehearing
Read full article: Indiana's near-total abortion ban set to take effect as state Supreme Court denies rehearingIndiana’s near-total abortion ban is set to take effect within days after the Indiana Supreme Court denied a rehearing in the case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana.
A man who set a fire at an Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic sentenced to 10 years in prison
Read full article: A man who set a fire at an Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic sentenced to 10 years in prisonA man who set a fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Illinois has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Indiana abortion clinics stop providing abortions ahead of near-total abortion ban taking effect
Read full article: Indiana abortion clinics stop providing abortions ahead of near-total abortion ban taking effectIndiana’s six abortion clinics have stopped providing abortions ahead of the state’s near-total abortion ban officially taking effect and as a petition is pending before the state’s high court asking it to keep the ban on hold while legal action continues.
Iowa Republicans will pursue a 6-week abortion ban during a special session that starts Tuesday
Read full article: Iowa Republicans will pursue a 6-week abortion ban during a special session that starts TuesdayThe Republican-controlled Legislature in Iowa will aim to enact a ban on abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy during a rare special session that starts Tuesday.
Nebraska governor signs 12-week abortion ban, limits on gender-affirming care for minors
Read full article: Nebraska governor signs 12-week abortion ban, limits on gender-affirming care for minorsNebraska’s Republican governor has signed a bill that bans abortion at 12 weeks and restricts gender-affirming medical care for people younger than 19.
Utah judge delays implementing statewide abortion clinic ban
Read full article: Utah judge delays implementing statewide abortion clinic banA Utah judge has ruled that the state law banning abortion clinics cannot take effect on Wednesday as scheduled amid a lawsuit filed by the state’s largest abortion provider.
Abortion foes urge justices to allow limits on abortion drug
Read full article: Abortion foes urge justices to allow limits on abortion drugLawyers for anti-abortion doctors are urging the Supreme Court to allow restrictions to take effect on a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the United States, while a lawsuit continues.
Utah bans abortion clinics in wave of post-Roe restrictions
Read full article: Utah bans abortion clinics in wave of post-Roe restrictionsThe decision by Utah’s Republican governor to sign into law a ban on abortion clinics is raising concerns about how already overburdened hospitals will accommodate becoming the only place for legal abortions in the state.
Before HIV grant cut, Tenn. tried to oust Planned Parenthood
Read full article: Before HIV grant cut, Tenn. tried to oust Planned ParenthoodDocuments show that top Tennessee health officials attempted to oust Planned Parenthood from a program designed to prevent and treat HIV before deciding to forgo federal funding for it.
Court: Abortion doctors can’t be charged under Arizona law
Read full article: Court: Abortion doctors can’t be charged under Arizona lawAn Arizona court ruled abortion doctors can’t be prosecuted under a pre-statehood law that criminalizes nearly all abortions yet was barred from being enforced for decades.
Clinics offer free vasectomies, citing a surge in demand
Read full article: Clinics offer free vasectomies, citing a surge in demandFree vasectomies will be available next month at three Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri amid a surge in demand for the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Arizona abortions won't stop for a month while case proceeds
Read full article: Arizona abortions won't stop for a month while case proceedsLegal abortions that restarted in Arizona this week after a court blocked enforcement of a pre-statehood ban will be able to continue for at least five weeks while an appeals court considers the case.
Planned Parenthood plans mobile abortion clinic in Illinois
Read full article: Planned Parenthood plans mobile abortion clinic in IllinoisPlanned Parenthood officials have announced plans for a mobile abortion clinic, a 37-foot RV that will stay in Illinois but travel close to the borders of adjoining states that have banned abortions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year.
Arizona abortion clinics send women to other states
Read full article: Arizona abortion clinics send women to other statesWomen seeking abortions across Arizona were forced to find alternatives beyond the state’s borders after a court ruling last week cleared the way for prosecutors to charge doctors and others who help a woman end a pregnancy unless her life is in danger.
Supreme Court's abortion ruling sets off new court fights
Read full article: Supreme Court's abortion ruling sets off new court fightsJudges have temporarily blocked abortion bans in Louisiana and Utah, while a federal court in South Carolina said a law sharply restricting the procedure would take effect there immediately.
Wisconsin Republican lawmakers reject abortion ban repeal
Read full article: Wisconsin Republican lawmakers reject abortion ban repealRepublican legislators in Wisconsin have quickly adjourned a special session that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers called to repeal the state's dormant abortion ban without taking any action.
With Roe in doubt, states weigh letting nurses do abortions
Read full article: With Roe in doubt, states weigh letting nurses do abortionsAs new abortion restrictions are imposed in some parts of the U.S., states with more liberal leadership have been passing laws to let a wider range of medical providers to do the procedures.
Appeals court mulls arguments on South Carolina abortion law
Read full article: Appeals court mulls arguments on South Carolina abortion lawAn appellate court has heard arguments in Planned Parenthood’s challenge to South Carolina’s new abortion law, with attorneys for the state arguing the nonprofit doesn’t have legal standing to bring the case.
More turn to abortion pills by mail, with legality uncertain
Read full article: More turn to abortion pills by mail, with legality uncertainCOVID-19 and state abortion restrictions like a near-ban that took effect in Texas in September have people with unwanted pregnancies increasingly considering getting abortion pills by mail.
College cancels Meacham talk over Planned Parenthood ties
Read full article: College cancels Meacham talk over Planned Parenthood tiesA conservative Christian university in Alabama has withdrawn an invitation for Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham to speak during inaugural activities for its new president.
Federal judge blocks Indiana ‘abortion reversal’ law
Read full article: Federal judge blocks Indiana ‘abortion reversal’ lawA federal judge has blocked a new Indiana law that would require doctors to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions about a disputed treatment for potentially stopping the abortion process.
Some GOP-led states target abortions done through medication
Read full article: Some GOP-led states target abortions done through medicationAbout 40% of all abortions in the U.S. are now done through medication — rather than surgery — and that option has become all the more pivotal during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New SC abortion law remains on hold under judge's order
Read full article: New SC abortion law remains on hold under judge's orderSouth Carolina Gov. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)COLUMBIA, S.C. – A new South Carolina law banning abortions will stay on hold following a judge's order on Friday to extend a temporary restraining order. Lewis initially suspended the “ South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act ” on its second day in effect, following a lawsuit from Planned Parenthood. Federal law supersedes state law. Planned Parenthood has indicated they plan to oppose McMaster's request to take part in the case, according to the governor's attorneys.
Court to take up Trump immigration, abortion referral rules
Read full article: Court to take up Trump immigration, abortion referral rulesFILE - In this Nov. 5, 2020 file photo, the Supreme Court is seen in Washington. The Supreme Court will take up challenges to controversial Trump administration policies affecting family-planning clinics and immigrants, even though the Biden administration has announced it is reviewing them. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said Monday it will take up challenges to controversial Trump administration policies affecting family-planning clinics and immigrants, even though the Biden administration has announced it is reviewing them. Last month, Biden also ordered a review of Trump's restrictions on family-planning clinics that caused Planned Parenthood to withdraw from the funding program, rather than stop abortion referrals. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the rule, in a lawsuit filed by the city of Baltimore.
South Carolina abortion law suspended 1 day after passage
Read full article: South Carolina abortion law suspended 1 day after passageSouth Carolina Gov. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina’s new law banning most abortions was suspended by a federal judge Friday on its second day in effect. AdThe “ South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act " is similar to abortion restriction laws that a dozen states have previously passed. Federal law, which takes precedence over state law, currently allows abortion. AdPlanned Parenthood lawyers noted that South Carolina legislators this year did not change part of state law that said fetuses are considered viable in the 24th week of pregnancy.
SC governor signs abortion ban; Planned Parenthood sues
Read full article: SC governor signs abortion ban; Planned Parenthood suesSouth Carolina Gov. Planned Parenthood immediately sued, effectively preventing the new law from taking effect. The “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, is similar to abortion restriction laws that a dozen states have previously passed. Moments after the Thursday vote, Planned Parenthood announced that it was filing a lawsuit. The South Carolina law, like those of other states that are currently being challenged, is “blatantly unconstitutional,” said Jenny Black, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
US won't seek death penalty in Planned Parenthood case
Read full article: US won't seek death penalty in Planned Parenthood caseDENVER – Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they will not seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing three people and injuring nine others at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado in 2015. The move comes about a year after Dear was charged in federal court after his prosecution in state court stalled. The decision not to seek the death penalty follows the resumption of federal executions under the Trump administration and as the Justice Department continues to seek the death penalty in other cases in the administration's waning days. The death penalty has usually been taken off the table in cases in which mental illness is a factor, such as in the Unabomber case, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. Prosecutors who are not seeking to pursue the death penalty for political reasons need to consider whether they are likely to succeed in convincing a jury to impose the death penalty in expensive and complicated death penalty cases prone to appeals, he said.
Supreme Court changes fuel moves to protect abortion access
Read full article: Supreme Court changes fuel moves to protect abortion accessA vast swath of West Texas has been without an abortion clinic for more than six years. That law led to the closure of more than half the state’s 41 abortion clinics before the Supreme Court struck down key provisions in 2016. Women in Lubbock faced a 310-mile (500-kilometer) drive to the nearest abortion clinic in Fort Worth. Texas is one of several red states where Planned Parenthood has sought to expand abortion access. Missouri, for example, bars the use of telemedicine for abortion services, a policy that has sharply limited the number of medication abortions.
Doctors ask Supreme Court to strike down Trump abortion rule
Read full article: Doctors ask Supreme Court to strike down Trump abortion ruleWASHINGTON – The nation's largest doctors' group on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to strike down a Trump administration rule that's had a far-reaching impact on family planning by prohibiting taxpayer-funded clinics from referring women for abortions. But the changes to Title X, as the federal family planning program is known, are already in effect — and getting much less attention. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promises to rescind the Trump administration's family planning rule and also supports allowing federal programs to pay for abortions. But the AMA says regardless of who wins the election, it believes the Supreme Court should address the issue and overturn the Trump administration rule. “We can't afford to walk away from that progress.”Joining the AMA's petition are the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, and Essential Access Health, which administers the Title X family planning program in California.
Judge tosses Trump rule on billing for abortion coverage
Read full article: Judge tosses Trump rule on billing for abortion coverageWASHINGTON A federal judge in Baltimore on Friday struck down a Trump administration rule that abortion rights advocates called a maneuver to restrict access but officials defended as merely following the law. The judge's ruling means insurers can continue to make the charge for abortion coverage a line item on their monthly bill, or just give policyholders notice that it's included. Abortion opponents cried foul, saying separate bills should be mandatory because that would clearly reflect the intent of the law. The Trump administration, which takes its lead on social issues from religious conservatives, agreed. They argued that the requirement to send separate bills could prompt insurers to drop coverage for abortions and would create confusion for policyholders.
Treasury chief refusing to disclose recipients of virus aid
Read full article: Treasury chief refusing to disclose recipients of virus aid(Al Drago/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON Building ramparts of secrecy around a $600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program for small businesses, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has moved from delay to denial in refusing outright to disclose the recipients of taxpayer-funded loans. About 10 weeks after the program was launched, the SBA says it has processed 4.5 million loans worth $511 billion. While the SBA administers the program, Mnuchins Treasury Department has ultimate control over it. We believe that thats proprietary information, and in many cases, for sole proprietors and small businesses, is confidential information, Mnuchin said during the hearing by the Senate Small Business Committee. Praise for the small-business loan program flowed to Mnuchin and Carranza at the hearing from senators from both parties, who cited the positive economic impact across the country.
Ruling means Missouri's last abortion clinic stays open
Read full article: Ruling means Missouri's last abortion clinic stays openMissouri Administrative Hearing Commissioner Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudis decision means Missouri will not become the first state without a functioning abortion clinic since 1974, the year after the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision. Therefore, Planned Parenthood is entitled to renewal of its abortion facility license, Dandamudi wrote. A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood said the organization will have comment later Friday. William Koebel, director of the section of the health department responsible for abortion clinic licensing, testified that the clinic failed to provide a "complication report." That led the health department to launch an investigation of other instances where women underwent multiple procedures to complete an abortion, Koebel said.
Planned Parenthood's political arm to spend $45M
Read full article: Planned Parenthood's political arm to spend $45MGetty Images(CNN) - Planned Parenthood's super PAC kicked off a $45 million electoral program targeted toward battleground states for the 2020 election, the reproductive rights giant announced on Wednesday. "Who we elect will determine our access to birth control, cancer screenings, sex education, abortion access and more," said Kelley Robinson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, in a statement. Planned Parenthood is among the plaintiffs in lawsuits challenging such laws in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Ohio. Anti-abortion leaders decried Planned Parenthood's election efforts, accusing the group of looking to protect its own finances and lamenting its federal subsidies. Planned Parenthood received $563.8 million in government funding in 2018, according to its annual report.
Planned Parenthood opens massive Illinois clinic
Read full article: Planned Parenthood opens massive Illinois clinicPlanned Parenthood's Anita Murphy works in the new Illinois facility ahead of its mid-October opening. (CNN) - As Missouri teeters on the brink of becoming the first state with no abortion clinics, a new Planned Parenthood center just across the Illinois border could help take patients who can't get abortions back home. Planned Parenthood said it is opening a new 18,000-square-foot health center in Fairview Heights, Illinois -- just 15 miles from Missouri. "We are thrilled to be able to better serve our patients through this new center, both in Southern Illinois and around the region," said Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. It could see an influx of patients from Missouri, which this year passed a law that bans most abortions after eight weeks.
Artists join Planned Parenthood's 'Bans Off My Body' campaign
Read full article: Artists join Planned Parenthood's 'Bans Off My Body' campaignGetty Images(CNN) - Planned Parenthood's "Bans Off My Body" campaign has gathered nearly 140 musicians to join its campaign to battle restrictions on legal abortion. Planned Parenthood plans to raise awareness about restrictive anti-abortion measures that have passed in several states over the last year. The organization hopes to gather a whopping 500,000 signatures for its online petition to raise awareness about abortion rights. "Abortion access and reproductive health and rights are under attack like never before, and we need everyone to fight back," Planned Parenthood's president, Alexis McGill, said in a statement. "Planned Parenthood is grateful to these artists for using their incredible platforms to declare that our bodies are our own -- if they are not, we can never be truly free or equal."
Providers react to Planned Parenthood's Title X withdrawal
Read full article: Providers react to Planned Parenthood's Title X withdrawalI talked to the Planned Parenthood Idaho state director, Mistie Tolman. The rule disallows Title X recipients of letting physicians refer women to an abortion provider or suggest where to get one. Withdrawing from Title X does not mean Planned Parenthood will lose all of its federal funding, they also receive money from Medicaid, according to the New York Times . But it does mean providers like Stanton may be eligible for Title X funding. In some rural areas, Planned Parenthood is the only provider of services like STI testing, birth control, and pregnancy testing.