Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, 15 states have banned abortion outright (others restrict abortion after six weeks, before most people know that they’re pregnant). Meanwhile, 49 states have proposed close to 600 anti-trans laws this year alone.
Last Year’s Supreme Court Term Was a Mockery of Justice. Here’s What’s at Stake in the Next Term.
A glimpse of what’s at stake in the upcoming Supreme Court term and a recap of the highlights (and lowlights) of last year’s term.
NEWS: Americans don’t trust politicians on abortion and gender-affirming care, poll finds
The vast majority of Americans — 7 in 10 — think that politicians are not informed enough about abortion and gender-affirming care to create fair policies, new polling by The 19th and SurveyMonkey found. Partisan battles over both issues are expected in races up and down ballots in 2024. Republicans at all levels of government are pushing to restrict access to abortion and gender-affirming care, and the polling indicates that these efforts likely appeal only to the party’s most fervent base voters.
NEWS: New chatbot connects abortion seekers with care options
A chatbot launching Tuesday aims to give users confidential, accurate information when seeking abortion care. The bot, Charley, was built specifically to reach people in states where abortion has been banned or restricted, but it does not offer legal advice.
NEWS: Abortions rose in most states this year, new data shows
Legal abortions most likely increased in the United States in the first six months of the year compared with 2020, an analysis of new estimates shows, as states with more permissive abortion laws absorbed patients traveling from those with bans and access to abortion pills via telemedicine continued to expand.
Unadmitted and Undiagnosed: Race-Conscious Admissions Matter for Rare Disease Diagnosis
The recent upheaval of affirmative action in higher education will harm patients of color. This harm could be particularly pronounced for patients of color with rare diseases, who are systematically undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and left to fend for themselves in an overwhelmingly white medical system.
NEWS: Appeals court upholds legality of abortion pill but with significant restrictions
A federal appeals court panel said on Wednesday that the abortion pill mifepristone should remain legal in the United States but with significant restrictions on patients’ access to it, setting up a showdown before the Supreme Court on the fate of the most common method of terminating pregnancies.
NEWS: Ohio vote shows abortion’s potency to reshape elections
About three million of them showed up for a vote dominated by the debate over abortion rights — an issue that was not technically on the ballot, but was the undeniable force that transformed what would have normally been a little-noticed election over an arcane legislative proposal into a national event.
NEWS: Illinois to invest more than $23 million in abortion access
As another of the states bordering Illinois is set to enact a near-total abortion ban this week, Gov. JB Pritzker on July 31 announced several new programs to help address the influx of out-of-state abortion seekers the state has seen in the 13 months since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Medicaid Helped Me Discover the Joy of Reading
Medicaid helped me discover that I loved reading because I no longer got a headache from straining my eyes. New Mexico’s generous Medicaid program serves thousands of families like mine in innumerable ways.
NEWS: Group using ‘shield laws’ to provide abortion care in states that ban it
Dr. Linda Prine is providing abortion access to people in all 50 states, even those that have banned it. That might seem like an admission to be discreet about in post-Roe America…
Securing Abortion Access and a Working Democracy for All
Voter disenfranchisement, gerrymandering, subversion and political games by state legislatures, and more contribute to the gap between laws that restrict or ban abortions and the overarching will of the people to protect access.
NEWS: Abortion in Iowa is Legal Again
An Iowa judge on Monday temporarily blocked the state’s new ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, just days after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the measure into law. That means abortion is once again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy…
Disabled People Face Renewed Threats to Autonomy After Dobbs Decision
Discussions about abortion access and the impact of Dobbs on disabled people are often overlooked. Let’s examine the ways that reproductive freedom and access to abortion care are critical to the economic security, health, well-being, dignity, and autonomy of disabled people and their families, particularly disabled women of color.
NEWS: F.D.A. approves first U.S. over-the-counter birth control pill
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription for the first time in the United States, a milestone that could significantly expand access to contraception.
Bans on Abortion and Gender-Affirming Care Harm the LGBTQ+ Community
It is essential that the framework for abortion equity centers LGBTQ+ people, who experience both structural and interpersonal discrimination in settings including health care, employment, and the public sphere.
NEWS: Democrats are already running on abortion rights in battleground states
In swing states with vulnerable Democratic senators up for re-election in 2024, the party is already hammering likely opponents over abortion rights – even though most of those Republicans haven’t yet decided if they’re running.
NEWS: Chaos and confusion a year after Dobbs and the end of Roe v. Wade
One year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, putting an end to the constitutionally protected right to access abortion, the health care landscape has become increasingly fragmented and complex to navigate, spawning widespread confusion.
Abortion Bans Exacerbate The Black Maternal & Reproductive Health Crises
As a Black woman, AND mother, AND Deep South native, I know firsthand that Black maternal health and reproductive health are indivisible. The fall of Roe v. Wade amplified the and not or of the critical importance of fully realized reproductive justice…
After Dobbs: Finding Optimism Amidst the Devastation
The last year has been devastating. Even though advocates in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement have been sounding the alarm for years – decades, even – about what the fall of Roe v. Wade would mean, I wasn’t prepared for what that would actually look like. But as we mark one year since the Dobbs decision, I am choosing – despite everything – to lean into optimism, to believe in and build toward a future where abortion is truly available to everyone.