abortion
Arizona abortion access initiative to start signature gathering
This story first appeared in the Arizona Mirror. The initiative seeking to make abortion a fundamental right in Arizona has officially launched the signature gathering effort necessary to land on the 2024 ballot. Reproductive rights advocates gathered Thursday to urge Arizonans to support the campaign for the Arizona Abortion Access Act, which aims to enshrine the […]
Ohio Supreme Court approves abortion rights amendment Ballot Board summary for voters with a tweak
This story first appeared in the Ohio Capital Journal. The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered one tweak to summary language approved by Republicans on the Ohio Ballot Board for voters to see in November on a proposed reproductive rights amendment. The split state supreme court rejected using the full text of the proposed amendment and declared […]
Not just Ohio: Biased language is the new tactic to thwart ballot measures
Abortion rights supporters filed a lawsuit last week against what they call “deceptive” ballot language produced by Ohio officials for the state’s closely-watched upcoming referendum on the issue. But it isn’t just the Buckeye State that’s lately seeing fierce battles over the once-obscure topic of ballot language. In recent weeks, officials in Missouri — where […]
Abortion-ban states pour millions into pregnancy centers with little medical care
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, Louisiana Republican state Sen. Beth Mizell looked for a way to address her state’s abysmal record on infant and maternal mortality, preterm births and low birth weight. Louisiana has one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Mizell […]
‘Conscience’ bills let medical providers opt out of providing a wide range of care
This story was produced by KFF Health News. A new Montana law will provide sweeping legal protections to health care practitioners who refuse to prescribe marijuana or participate in procedures and treatments such as abortion, medically assisted death, gender-affirming care or others that run afoul of their ethical, moral or religious beliefs or principles. The […]
Texas AG appeals judge’s order that allows women with complicated pregnancies to get abortions
This story originally appeared in The Texas Tribune. A Texas judge on Friday issued a temporary exemption to the state’s abortion ban that would allow women with complicated pregnancies to obtain the procedure and keep doctors free from prosecution if they determined the fetus would not survive after birth. But hours later, the attorney general’s […]
Ohio voters are deciding if it’s too easy to pass ballot measures. Other states are watching.
This story was produced by States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news organization. CLEVELAND — Ohioans over the last century have used the state’s ballot initiative process to pass constitutional amendments that raised the minimum wage, integrated the National Guard and removed the phrase “white male” from the constitution’s list of voter eligibility requirements. Now, lawmakers […]
Lawsuit over Texas abortion ban could be a model in other states
Read more Stateline coverage on how states are either protecting or curbing access to abortions. AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit in Texas asserting that the state’s abortion ban imperils women by dissuading doctors from ending dangerous pregnancies could provide a template for similar challenges across the country. Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after […]
Iowa lawmakers pass legislation to outlaw most abortions after 6 weeks
The Republican-controlled Iowa legislature, in a daylong special legislative session, passed legislation late Tuesday to outlaw most abortions in Iowa after six weeks of gestation. The House adjourned just after 9 p.m. Tuesday after sending House File 732 to the Senate with a vote of 56-34. Rep. Zach Dieken, R-Granville, and Rep. Mark Cisneros, R-Muscatine, […]
Positive polling, past successes don’t guarantee victory for abortion rights at the ballot box
Polls show that most Americans, even in red states, oppose the strict abortion bans Republican state lawmakers have enacted in the year since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Emboldened by that fact, abortion rights advocates in multiple states might propose ballot initiatives for voters to consider in next year’s election, if […]