The typical age of pregnant unaccompanied minors is 15 or 16, though they can be even younger, White said. “They’re not grown women. They’re little girls,” he said. Because of their young age, “many of them will be comparatively high-risk pregnancies” who need specialized care – yet it’s not clear whether the south Texas facility, … Read more
Notably, nationwide, more than one-third of the U.S. is now considered to be a maternity care desert, leaving more than 5.6 million women in counties with no or limited access to maternity care. Hackney told Salon the rise in maternity deserts is most likely a factor to the decline in early prenatal care. Read more … Read more
It’s not clear what comes next. Republicans have previously tried and failed to impose restrictions on mifepristone, which is used in more than two-thirds of abortions, through government funding legislation. “I don’t have confidence [the FDA review] is going to amount to anything,” he said. “My view is Congress now needs to get involved.” Read … Read more
“This is the first law that a state has passed that has specifically tried to counteract another state’s shield laws,” said Marc Hearon, senior counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights, who is defending Coeytaux. “All those provisions under this new law could be tested. It could be a bellwether.” Beyond an injunction, Rodriguez will … Read more
Legal battles over the measures are also raging in Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada and Ohio. In some of these states, lawmakers have also introduced legislation that, experts say, would undercut the will of voters who passed the measures. Read more at The Guardian
To Jay, a win for Paxton would put patients in a risky place, forcing doctors and nurses to choose between “doing what is medically right, or doing what is politically ‘safe.’” “That is a dangerous place for any healthcare system to be,” Jay said, noting that “when politicians override clinicians, patients pay the price” through … Read more
It argues that the laws banning abortion in Arkansas – there are two virtually identical laws on the books – must be struck down because they violate the state constitution and its guarantee that people have the right to equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These anti-abortion laws, the lawsuit alleges, not only … Read more
Suit against Debra Lynch is latest from Texas’s Republican attorney general amid ongoing attacks on abortion pills Read more at The Guardian
The Department of Veterans Affairs can no longer provide abortions to veterans, including in cases of rape or incest, following a Department of Justice memo that found last week that the practice was not legally sound. Read more at The Guardian
The North Dakota supreme court revived the state’s abortion ban on Friday, once again making it a felony for doctors to perform the procedure except in medical emergencies or in some cases of rape or incest. Read more at The Guardian
