But that may be changing. A bill introduced Thursday in Oklahoma’s Senate would amend the state’s abortion restrictions, eliminating language that clarifies pregnant people are protected from prosecution. Under that bill, which has not yet been assigned to a legislative committee and has no co-sponsors yet, pregnant people could face felony charges if they induce … Read more
This week, Steve Marshall, Alabama’s Republican attorney general, said he sees a path to prosecuting women for having abortions in his state. This was a bit of a faux pas: a moment of letting slip the mask that the anti-abortion movement always tries to keep on. Read more at The Guardian
While prosecuting doctors is not generally politically popular, she said, it can scare other providers. In this way, the situation in Texas with Planned Parenthood is not dissimilar to what is happening with Bernard, she said. “I see this as harassment litigation — it appears to have no other purpose. A judge should consider it … Read more
As horror stories of women sickened, jailed, denied treatment, forced to carry pregnancies with no chance of success or that are products of rape leak out from all corners, parallel universe Republicans might find it politically expedient to soften their absolutist stance. But to begin the 118th Congress, these Republicans have not. Read more at … Read more
Critics of the federal GOP “born alive” proposal say it is shrouded in misinformation about difficult circumstances involving abortions and paints a picture of neglect of infants that is not the reality within health care settings. It could force physicians to perform care on infants that would prolong their lives for a short time but … Read more
In a 3-2 decision, the court ruled that three state laws — prohibiting abortion at conception and after six weeks of pregnancy, as well as a Texas-style civil enforcement measure — are constitutional as the state has a “legitimate interest in protecting prenatal fetal life in all stages of development, and in protecting the health … Read more
Florida’s rightwing Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has appointed a judge who was previously ousted over a controversial ruling where he denied a teenager an abortion, citing her school grades. Read more at The Guardian
But the reality cannot be overstated: by October, 66 clinics across 15 US states were known to have closed, more than 80% of the total of 79 clinics open in June in those states. As of last summer, about 33 million women of child-bearing age lived in states that had or were poised to ban … Read more
“Surrounded by states where abortion is now unavailable and even criminalized, Illinois is a critical access point for those seeking care in the Midwest and South,” Elisabeth Smith, director of state policy and advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told the newspaper. “There has been a massive influx of patients from across the region, … Read more
Although much is still unknown about how abortion bans will be enforced, we have arrived at a time when abortions—and even other pregnancy losses—might be investigated as potential crimes. In many states across post-Roe America, expect to see women treated like criminals. Read more at The Atlantic
