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NEWS: The Supreme Court just hit pause on an abortion pill showdown

| May 21, 2026

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The Supreme Court Just Hit Pause on an Abortion Pill Showdown

Mother Jones, May 14, 2026

The Supreme Court has rejected a federal appeals court’s attempt to end telemedicine and mail-order abortions, hitting pause on a fast-moving case that threatened to decimate access to abortion pills nationwide. The one-paragraph SCOTUS order, issued late Thursday afternoon, means that for the foreseeable future, the abortion pill mifepristone can continue to be prescribed via telehealth and sent through the mail, even to patients living in states where abortion is banned. “The number one message that we want to get across is that telehealth care is still available across the country,” said Lizzy Hinkley, legal director of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine.

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Abortion Bans Are Restricting Miscarriage Care, New Study Finds

The 19th, May 18, 2026

Across the country, abortion bans appear to have made it harder for people experiencing miscarriages to receive appropriate treatment – or even receive treatment at all – a new study suggests. The study is the first national look at the connection between abortion bans and miscarriage care. “Pregnancy care is a continuum,” said Dr. Maria Rodriguez, an OBGYN and professor at Oregon Health and Science University, and the study’s lead author. “If you restrict access for one type of care, it’s going to affect all of them.”

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A Stillbirth and Facebook Post Expressing Her Grief Landed Her in Prison for Over 2 Years. Experts Say It’s Part of a Pattern

CNN, May 16, 2026

Patience Rousseau was arrested and charged with felony manslaughter after a Nevada sheriff’s deputy questioned her about her Facebook post expressing grief about her stillbirth. Rousseau was convicted in Nevada, where abortion is legal. Rousseau’s case fits into an emerging pattern where women are swept up in criminalization – even in states where abortion is legal – by prosecutors reaching for antiquated statutes or laws that were never intended to punish pregnant women and those experiencing pregnancy loss or birth.

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Veterans Group Sues Trump Administration Over VA Abortion Ban

MS NOW, May 15, 2026

An advocacy group representing veterans is suing the Trump administration for reimplementing a ban on abortion services and counseling to veterans and their dependents who become pregnant in dire circumstances. The nonprofit organization Minority Veterans of America is bringing the lawsuit on behalf of all of its members harmed by the ban, including one member who is pregnant and unable to access those services. Veterans in states with abortion bans are forced to travel out-of-state for abortion care, which means paying for travel, food and lodging, and their VA providers cannot share information about where to access care in other states due to the abortion counseling ban.

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Abortion Providers Saw Waves of Threats in 2025 as Trump Pardoned Their Detractors: Report

MS NOW, May 19, 2026

Abortion providers faced violent threats and sustained harassment in 2025, the same year President Donald Trump pardoned nearly two dozen anti-abortion protesters and his Justice Department pledged to roll back similar prosecutions in the future. The annual survey from the National Abortion Federation found out of more than 300 facilities and workers who responded to the survey, about 200 reported incidents of violence or harassment in 2025. And more than 60 facilities reported receiving death threats or threats of harm, such as attempted break-ins or threats against providers, and 10 of those reported multiple threats.

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ICYMI: In Case You Missed It

Blog: Erasing the Evidence: How Attacks on Federal Data and Research Harm the Disability Community

What the federal government chooses to measure directly shapes policymaking, particularly for communities that have historically been overlooked in data collection and research, including people with disabilities.

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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.

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Repro Health Watch

Repro Health Watch

Repro Health Watch is a weekly email digest compiled by our Health Justice team and 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.