Reproductive Rights News Roundup

These Bills Would Further Undermine Abortion Rights in the South

By Rachel Wells

Rewire News

A proposed near-total abortion ban and forced parental consent bill filed this month in Florida could devastate access to abortion for people across the South.

 

Group says privacy rights threatened by legislation seeking to limit access to abortions

By Lloyd Dunkelberger

Florida Phoenix

With lawmakers ready to take up a parental-consent abortion bill next week, a reproductive rights group is warning that the legislation is potentially “alarming” and could lead to new limits on the right to privacy in Florida.

 

Abortion rights activists target battleground states ahead of 2020 election

By Benjamin Barber

Facing South

With the U.S. Supreme Court shifting further to the right under President Trump, state-level Republicans in the South and Midwest have raced to pass bills limiting women’s access to abortion care.

 

Supreme Court to hear dangerous Louisiana abortion case for those who support a woman’s right to choose

By Dr. Vicki Toscano

South Florida Sun Sentinel

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an abortion case, June Medical Services v. Gee. This case does not directly challenge Roe v. Wade, but it’s worrisome because it may just be the perfect vehicle for the new conservative majority to make their mark on abortion law.

 

Abortion access for millennials, Gen-Xers at stake in Supreme Court case

By Erin M. Carr

Orlando Sentinel

It should be openly acknowledged that access to abortion, contraception and meaningful health care has been far from universally accessible, with women of color and those with limited economic means forced to navigate considerable hurdles in exercising their rights. Yes, work remained and ongoing efforts were needed. But the right to choose existed, at least in theory, if not always in practice. Whether meaningful access to reproductive services will continue for women in large swaths of this country will soon be determined, and the eventual outcome is frighteningly dubious.

 

Democratic Candidates Have Promised to ‘Codify’ Roe v. Wade. What Does That Mean?

By Marie Lodi and Erica Schwiegershausen

The Cut

During Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate, candidates were asked (for the first time!) how they’d protect a woman’s right to have an abortion.

 

Fighting for Abortion Access in the South

By Alexis Okeowo

The New Yorker

In June, 1994, at a pro-choice conference in Chicago, twelve black women gathered together to talk.

 

Five Florida Bills to Keep an Eye on During the Next Legislative Session

By Alexi C. Cardona

Miami New Times

Excerpt: State Rep. Mike Hill — a man who claims God speaks to him — filed the legislation, known as HB 271. The bill would effectively ban all abortions in Florida after six weeks and remove all exceptions, including instances of rape and incest, or if a woman’s life was at risk if the pregnancy were brought to full term.

 

Study finds higher demand for abortion medication online in states with restrictive laws

By Marty Johnson

The Hill

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health Thursday shows that women who live in states with restrictive anti-abortion laws are going online to find medication that can induce the procedure.

 

Abortion rights group to host presidential forum on reproductive rights

By Jessie Hellmann

The Hill

NARAL Pro-Choice America will host a presidential forum focused on reproductive rights and abortion, the group announced on Thursday.

 

San Francisco Won’t Do Business With 22 States Because of Their ‘Severe’ Anti-Abortion Laws

By Alexandra Hutzler

Newsweek

Excerpt: The states that have been blacklisted by San Francisco are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. These states, according to the statement, all try to restrict abortion before fetal viability or the period at which a fetus can survive outside the womb. Most medical professionals define the age of viability as being at 24 weeks.

 

The HEAL for Immigrant Women and Families Act: Removing Barriers to Health Coverage and Care

By Adam Sonfield

Guttmacher Institute

Legislation reintroduced on October 15 in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) would greatly expand immigrants’ eligibility for health insurance coverage and access to care, including sexual and reproductive health services.