Massachusetts Expands Abortion Access to Any Point During Pregnancy
The 19th, August 10, 2026
Massachusetts eliminated its cutoff for when someone can get an abortion, making it the tenth state – along with Washington, D.C. – to allow the procedure at any point in pregnancy. “We believe that health care decisions should be made between women and families and their doctors, not politicians,” Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, said Monday at a bill-signing ceremony. “Abortion will remain safe, it will remain legal and it will remain accessible here in Massachusetts. That’s my commitment to you.”… The Massachusetts law was championed by major medical groups, including the National Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the state’s chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
More College Students Will Have Access to Abortion Medication
Stateline, August 11, 2026
When college students head back to campus for the fall semester, more of them will have guaranteed access to abortion medication. Colorado recently joined California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York in requiring public colleges and universities to provide abortion medication to students on campus or arrange to make it available to them through an off-campus provider…. All five states have enacted laws to expand access to abortion in recent years, both before and after the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which cleared the way for states to fully deny abortion access for the first time in 50 years. Since that decision, more than a dozen states have enacted near-total abortion bans.
Anti-Abortion Groups Urge Attorney General To Halt Mailing Of Abortion Pills
Stateline, August 10, 2026
A group of leading anti-abortion organizations sent a letter to newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche urging him to review the U.S. Department of Justice’s authority to use a 150-year-old anti-obscenity law to prevent people from obtaining abortion medication or other related materials through the mail. Advancing American Freedom, a conservative advocacy group founded by former Republican Vice President Mike Pence, authored the Aug. 7 letter. It is co-signed by four major anti-abortion organizations, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Americans United for Life and Students for Life of America. The nearly 30 other signees include the North Carolina House of Representatives, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and The Conservative Caucus.
More GOP Party Platforms Include Anti-IVF Language. Is Surrogacy Next?
Stateline, August 13, 2026
In the past two years, Republicans in Idaho and four other states have added specific anti-IVF language to their state party platforms, and some anti-abortion groups, including Students for Life of America and Live Action, have become increasingly outspoken in their opposition to both IVF and surrogacy. One reason is that many same-sex couples use both methods to have children, and many conservatives believe children should be raised by heterosexual married couples. Conservative critics also connect surrogacy to immigration, saying it facilitates “birth tourism” and birthright citizenship. And they note that IVF can involve the discarding of some embryos, which they say is akin to abortion. The latter is connected to the idea that a fetus or embryo is a person, with legal rights.
Abortion Rights Advocates Fear Flock Cameras Could Track Women Seeking Abortions in Ohio
WYSO Public Radio, August 12, 2026
Flock cameras, which are installed on public streets to track cars, license plates and provide other surveillance, are helpful to law enforcement. But privacy and civil rights advocates are concerned, as the data the cameras gather has been used by immigration authorities and others in ways that raise questions. And advocates for legal abortion fear the cameras may be used to track women who seek abortions in Ohio….“The concern is a person who is leaving a state where abortion is illegal and coming to Columbus to get the abortion care they deserve should not be followed into our city by this dragnet surveillance system that we have,” said Jaime Miracle, deputy director of Abortion Forward.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
The July jobs data reveal a deeply distressed economy that shed 23,000 jobs last month, driven by steep losses to hospitality jobs and local public schools. More than 25 percent of jobseekers have been looking for work for six months or longer. And this month’s slight decrease in the overall unemployment rate is not a cause for celebration. Instead, it was driven by people leaving the labor force entirely as the share of people who are working continues to decline.
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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.
