Tens of Thousands of New Mothers Have Been Flagged to Police Over Unreliable Drug Tests
Mother Jones, February 10, 2026
In at least 70,000 cases in 21 states, parents were referred to law enforcement agencies over allegations of substance use during pregnancy, according to six years of state and federal data obtained and published for the first time by the Marshall Project. In many cases, the referrals began with false positive results from flawed drug tests – sometimes triggered by women’s prescribed medications. The sheer number of people whom law enforcement is tracking is far higher than experts previously knew, including academics and reproductive rights organizations monitoring what they call pregnancy criminalization. Even so, the numbers the Marshall Project compiled represent a significant undercount.
Mifepristone Manufacturers Move To Block GOP Lawsuit Seeking Nationwide Telehealth Abortion Ban
Ms. Magazine, February 11, 2025
On February 3, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro – manufacturers of the brand-name and a generic of mifepristone – filed motions to intervene in Louisiana, Idaho, and Missouri’s case seeking to overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2023 decision to allow telehealth abortion. The drugmakers argue that mifepristone has a long-established safety record. The Louisiana lawsuit is one of three currently active lawsuits filed by state attorneys general pushing the FDA to roll back access to mifepristone.
Trump Administration Is Sending Pregnant Migrant Girls to South Texas Shelter Flagged as Medically Inadequate
Houston Public Media, February 11, 2026
The Trump administration is sending all detained pregnant unaccompanied minors to a single group shelter in South Texas. Since late July, more than a dozen pregnant minors have been placed at the Texas facility. Each of their pregnancies is considered high risk by definition, particularly for the youngest girls. The longstanding federal practice was to place pregnant, unaccompanied migrant children in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelters or foster homes that are equipped to handle high-risk pregnancies. There is worry that the Trump administration is putting children in danger at the San Benito shelter to advance an ideological goal: denying them access to abortion by placing them in a state where it’s virtually banned.
Delayed and Turned Away: How Access to Abortion Can Depend on Your Weight
The 19th, February 12, 2026
Patients over a certain BMI who sought abortion procedures faced substantial limits and delays. Those barriers led to patients scrambling to find alternative care, leaving patients with lingering frustration, physical discomfort, and emotional distress. Megan Daniel, senior director of programs at the Chicago Abortion Fund, found that among the dozens of clinics surveyed about BMI limits, equipment constraints, and sedation policies, a handful explicitly said they had restrictions about who they could serve. The fear of providers denying care and discrimination can make it harder for patients to ask questions or advocate for themselves.
People in ICE Detention Struggle To Access Period Products, Despite Rules To Provide Them
The 19th, February 5, 2026
A report published Monday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that federal prisons and immigration detention centers generally make menstrual products available. But investigators also discovered inadequate oversight: Some facilities do not follow federal policy that mandates specific types of menstrual products and how often they must be replenished. The GAO found that some institutions do not follow the 2018 First Step Act, which requires the Bureau of Prisons to provide free tampons and sanitary napkins. For ICE facilities, the agency assigns one of three different sets of standards that guide requirements for providing food, medical care, and hygiene items. But these standards are inconsistent and lack detailed directives for providing menstrual products.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
The January 2026 data for Black women show that their unemployment rate continues to be higher than a year ago.
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Note: The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
