‘A scary time’: Fear of prosecution forces doctors to choose between protecting themselves or their patients

State laws criminalizing abortion after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision have put physicians under intense scrutiny and made them fearful, with implications that extend well beyond abortion. Already, treatment of serious pregnancy complications, and even the unrelated use of an abortion medication by patients with arthritis and autoimmune disorders such as lupus, has been affected. … Read more

Trigger bans in the states

3 more states are poised to enact abortion trigger bans this week By the end of August, nearly all of the abortion trigger bans in the country will have taken effect. Read more at National Public Radio, Inc. Nearly all abortion trigger laws will have taken effect by August By the end of August, every … Read more

Abortion is still legal in Arizona. But confusion and fear abound

“Arizona is the textbook example of chaos and uncertainty, with providers and patients trying to figure out the law. It’s a mess. The attorney general has refused to provide clarity, and you have to conclude that’s because abortion opponents want providers to be conservative in the way they offer care to avoid legal risks,” said … Read more

In the GOP’s new surveillance state, everyone’s a snitch.

These laws do not stop at targeting society’s most vulnerable. They also attack the legal and social norms that underpin our system of government. They turn citizens into spies in a surveillance scheme more reminiscent of a totalitarian state, and shred the vital principle that the laws are applied equally to all people. These laws … Read more

Title X advocates worry that birth control may go the same way as abortion

When the Supreme Court issued its ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion that the court “should reconsider” its past rulings related to contraception. .. Part of that fight centers on Title X, a federal program that offers birth control and other reproductive health care to low-income patients. … Read more