Birth control on the ballot as abortion bans increase barriers to family planning

An estimated 19 million women of reproductive age are now living in so-called contraceptive deserts, counties where people have trouble accessing a range of birth control options, according to data from the reproductive rights nonprofit Power to Decide. The right to contraception is protected by two landmark Supreme Court cases. Some Supreme Court justices have … Read more

New lawsuit challenges Louisiana’s classification of abortion pills as ‘controlled substances’

The new lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that the law could create barriers for health care workers who need to administer mifepristone and misoprostol quickly in an emergency, thereby delaying patients’ access to the pills and creating a risk of harm. The complaint also says the law discriminates against people who need the medications, since patients … Read more

Faced with obstacles to abortion, military women have built their own support system

Instead, women in the military are often relying on an ad-hoc peer support system that many compared to an “underground railroad” of military women helping one another, according to interviews with more than 40 current and former service members, advocates and researchers.. “Women are coming up with their own solutions,” said Caitlin Clason, a former … Read more

Judge continues to block Florida from threatening TV stations over abortion ads

What the First Amendment does is leave matters like that to the public marketplace of ideas,” Stafford said, “not the whims of a government censor.” The decision Walker handed down on Tuesday extends an Oct. 18 order barring state officials from “trampling” on the free speech rights of those they disagree with. “The government cannot … Read more

How a rightwing machine stopped Arkansas’s ballot initiative to roll back one of the strictest abortion bans

A Guardian investigation into the ballot’s demise tells a more complicated story than just a bureaucratic screw-up, revealing a confluence of rightwing actors working in parallel to ensure it never got to voters: a reclusive donor who has helped shape the anti-abortion movement across the US; the inner circle of Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, … Read more

Harris pushing abortion rights as the winning issue in campaign’s final stretch

“Donald Trump is responsible for the end of Roe v. Wade and continues to brag about it, saying that abortion bans are a ‘beautiful thing,’” said Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All. “Don’t pay attention to what Donald Trump says, but what he’s done. If he is elected in November, he will … Read more

Anti-abortion centers are stepping into electoral politics

Anti-abortion centers and their leaders have been campaigning against the abortion ballot measures in 10 states in the lead up to Election Day. The organizations — also known as crisis pregnancy centers — have sought to remove those measures from state ballots and distributed materials with misleading talking points. Read more at 19th News  

‘It is us against the Missouri government’: The fight to restore abortion rights in a red state

“Trust me, it won’t stop with taking away the women’s right of choice. They won’t stop there. They’ll continue to pull away all of our civil liberties if we let them get away with that,” Terrence Wise, a leader of Stand Up KC and board member of the Missouri Workers’ Center, told the crowd. Read … Read more

DeSantis administration threatens charges stemming from TV ad supporting abortion initiative

A lawyer for the Florida Department of Health would not rule out criminal charges stemming from a round of cease and desist letters that were sent by the agency to stop a TV ad promoting this year’s abortion access ballot initiative. Read more at Politico