The Abortion Pill Could Prevent Breast Cancer – but Bans Are Slowing Research
Autonomy News, October 28, 2026
“The fall of Roe and the rise of state abortion bans jeopardized a wide range of medical research on medications that could both end a pregnancy and alleviate some of society’s most common ailments. Scientists around the country are testing mifepristone’s ability to treat everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to leukemia to alcohol addiction to uterine fibroids. Dispensing mifepristone for such medical studies is legal – even in states with abortion restrictions or near-total bans – but Dobbs chilled the research all the same … Dr. Tarah Ballinger, a professor at Indiana University’s medical school, launched a clinical trial in late 2021 to test whether mifepristone could prevent breast cancer in patients with the high-risk BRCA genetic mutation … But after Roe fell and Indiana began debating a ban on the procedure, Ballinger pulled the plug out of fear of losing access to the drug or putting her team at risk of a criminal investigation. It was not an isolated incident.”
Survey: More Than Half of Women in States With Abortion Bans Wouldn’t Know Where To Get an Abortion if They Needed One
KFF, October 26, 2026
“More than half (53%) of reproductive-age women living in states with abortion-provision bans say they would not know where to go or where to find information if they needed an abortion, up from 43% in 2024, according to a new KFF survey. Four in 10 (40%) women living in states with gestational limits between 6 and 12 weeks say the same, as do 1 in 3 (32%) reproductive-age women nationally, up from 1 in 4 (26%) in 2024. The findings come as the greater availability of medication abortion via telehealth has transformed how many women get abortions, including women living in states with bans. While two-thirds (68%) of reproductive-age women have heard of medication abortion pills, just 18% know that people in their state can get them online, including only 8% of women in states with abortion-provision bans. Most women (71%) are unsure how they would get them or have never heard of medication abortion, and 1 in 10 (11%) say people in their state cannot get the pills online.”
Florida AG James Uthmeier Pushes for Fetal Personhood and an End to all Abortions in State
CBS News, October 25, 2026
“In a video podcast with an anti-abortion activist released earlier this month, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier boasted that he would “use every tool in his office” to eliminate abortion clinics in Florida. ‘I’m excited to go fight for truth, fight for life, and take the enemy down using any tool we have above and beyond just our heartbeat bill,’ Uthmeier said, referring to the state’s current six-week abortion ban. He also discussed his efforts to steer an obscure family court proceeding through the judicial system to push for ‘fetal personhood.’ ‘It is going to bring the conversation of fetal personhood and life front and center,’ he said during a podcast with the anti-abortion activist Lila Rose.”
Billionaire taxes, Trans Rights, Abortion, Voting Rights: This Year’s Biggest State Votes
POLITICO, October 28, 2026
“Statewide ballot measures are flying under the national radar – but some are drawing big spending. At least $400 million has been spent on TV ads for ballot initiatives, according to data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. The 145 ballot measures across 39 states include fights attracting the attention of future presidential candidates and millions from dark money groups on both sides of the aisle … Measures in Nevada and Virginia would enshrine abortion access in those states’ constitutions, similar to measures that have passed over the last few years in Ohio, Michigan, Montana and other states.”
Nineteen Republican AGs Call for Criminalizing Pro-Choice Speech
Abortion, Every Day, October 26, 2026
“Last week, a group of AGs filed a brief in support of South Dakota’s ban on abortion ‘advertising’ – a law so (deliberately) broad that even sharing information about abortion could send you to jail. This brief isn’t just run-of-the-mill Republican support for anti-abortion legislation: it’s a chilling attack on the First Amendment and our ability to talk freely about abortion … Republicans passed a law with the express purpose of quashing pro-choice speech and criminalizing anyone who passes along information that could help someone get an abortion … Since that law passed, Mayday sued, a federal judge blocked the law, and Jackley appealed. Then, last week, 18 Republican AGs filed their brief – taking a terrifying stand on free speech in the process.”
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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.
