Repro Health Watch
NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

Earlier this year, five people altered the landscape of reproductive rights in more than a dozen states across the country when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In November, millions of voters will weigh in, casting votes in dozens of races and ballot measures that will determine how restrictive their state can be. Ballot initiatives in three states could determine abortion access for millions of women and what kind of reproductive health care is available to them. Abortion has also become a key issue in races for governor and state attorneys general, who have direct control over their states’ abortion laws and how they are enforced. Democratic candidates for governor want to gain or retain veto power over Republican-controlled state legislatures that want to curb abortion rights.

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: Telemedicine abortions just got more complicated for health providers

Allison Case, a family medicine physician, spends much of her time working in a hospital where she delivers babies and provides reproductive health care services, including abortions…In the U.S., more than a dozen states severely restrict access to abortion, and almost as many have such laws in the works. Across the country, since Roe v. Wade was overturned, clinics that do provide abortions have seen an increase in demand. Many clinics rely on help from physicians out of state, like Case, who are able to alleviate some of the pressure and keep wait times down by providing services via telemedicine. But as more states move to restrict abortion, these providers are finding themselves navigating an increasingly complicated legal landscape. Is abortion by telemedicine legal? Experts differ.

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: Abortion looms over 2022 state ballots

Five forthcoming state ballot initiatives on abortion rights could add fissures to the fractured post-Roe landscape and the evolving patchwork of reproductive health policies. The big picture: The U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion has hardened sentiments in red and blue states and put critical access questions in front of voters this fall. Kansas showed how potent the issue is in driving turnout last month, when voters during state primary elections overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would have struck abortion protections in the state’s constitution. The turnout of more than 900,000 was nearly half of all registered voters in the state, and almost double the amount of voters that Kansas normally sees in a primary election.

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: Democrats urge Biden administration to use HIPAA to protect abortion rights and privacy

Thirty Democratic senators led by Washington’s Patty Murray are calling on the Biden administration to use health care privacy laws to protect patients’ reproductive health information, specifically when it comes to abortion. In the letter sent Tuesday, first shared with The 19th, the senators ask the Biden administration to use the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to prohibit health care providers and personnel from sharing any information about patients’ medical records “without explicit consent.”

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: Nearly 1/3 low-income Asian women in states with limited abortion access

When a young Rohingya woman touched down in New York in 2018, she thought she had finally reached safety – the end to an arduous lifelong journey of fleeing persecution without much choice. […] “Getting an abortion had a financial cost to it, but now that cost has essentially tripled,” said Rachna Khare, the executive director of Daya, a Houston-area survivors organization.

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: Their medications cause pregnancy issues. Post-Roe, that could be dangerous

“Karen Kaiser says she will never forget her feelings of dread and sadness as she hurried past picket lines of antiabortion protesters in 2008. In the waiting room of a Maryland Planned Parenthood, “I remember crying,” she said. Kaiser had decided to have an abortion in part because she was taking a medication called Depakote to control her bipolar disorder.”

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: No, Justice Alito, reproductive justice is in the Constitution

Editor’s Note: The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and reverse a legal precedent of nearly 50 years is no surprise. The willingness of the Court’s majority to disrespect the importance of women’s autonomy and catapult them backwards into a 19th century, second-class status speaks volumes about the majority’s lack of respect for women’s equality and individual dignity.

NEWS: Midterms will decide future of abortion access in these states

NEWS: Biden pledges executive orders on abortion. His options are limited.

Repro health news from the week of June 6 – 10, 2022.

Repro Health Watch is a weekly email digest designed to give you the most important reproductive health news of the week.

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.

National Partnership for Women & Families, 50th anniversary logo