Antiabortion Laws

Antiabortion laws in America vary significantly by state, with some states imposing severe restrictions that effectively ban most abortions, often as early as six weeks into pregnancy. These laws have sparked intense legal and social debates, with reproductive rights advocates emphasizing the importance of women’s autonomy and access to safe medical procedures. The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, has further fueled activists’ efforts to protect reproductive freedom and ensure equitable healthcare access across the country.

‘Abortion Care Is an Act of Love’: What Abortion Providers Want You to Know About Practicing Today

With increasing attacks on abortion and the people who provide them, we talked to abortion providers across the U.S. about what they want their communities to know and what keeps them motivated to continue the work. 

Abortion providers Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and practicing OB-GYN; Dr. Jamila Perritt, OB-GYN in Washington, D.C., and president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health; and Dr. Bhavik Kumar, medical director for primary and trans care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast shared with Ms. their thoughts on an increasingly hostile federal government, what antiabortion lawmakers get wrong and what they think Ms. readers should know about being an abortion provider today.

Young People Are Fleeing States With Abortion Restrictions

One in five individuals planning to have children within the next decade has moved—or knows someone who has moved—to another state due to abortion restrictions. 

Characterizing the exodus as a “brain drain,” Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of Institute for Women’s Policy Research, warned employers: “Our report makes it clear that companies who fail to address these needs risk losing their competitive edge. To build a resilient workforce and thriving economy, it’s up to corporate leaders and lawmakers to take decisive action and make reproductive healthcare a top priority.” 

Keeping Score: Executive Orders Attack Trans Community; Americans Need Paid Leave and Childcare Policies; Unvaccinated Measles Cases Soar

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Trump’s executive orders continue to threaten trans people’s safety, jobs and rights; policies like paid family leave and universal preschool are incredibly popular; measles spreads among unvaccinated populations; Congress signals their plan to cut SNAP and Medicaid; women’s college basketball teams will be paid for March Madness games; almost a quarter of Gen Z adults are part of the LGBTQ community; and more.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Could Shape the State’s Future on Abortion, Voting and Workers’ Rights

The nonpartisan effort to produce voter guides, Guides.vote, recently released its Wisconsin Supreme Court race guide, providing a cheat sheet leading up to the April 1 election. The high-profile race tasks voters with deciding between Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel to fill the open seat on the court.

The election is crucial in determining whether the court retains its 4-3 liberal majority or shifts to conservative control.

War on Women Report: ‘Fetal Personhood’ Bill Introduced in Congress; Trump’s Antiabortion and Pro-Project 2025 Cabinet

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MAGA Republicans are back in the White House, and Project 2025 is their guide—the right-wing plan to turn back the clock on women’s rights, remove abortion access, and force women into roles as wives and mothers in the “ideal, natural family structure.” We know an empowered female electorate is essential to democracy. That’s why day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

Since our last report:
—A judge in Indiana has temporarily ruled to protect doctors from being forced to share abortion records with the government.
—Idaho became the sixth state to consider murder charges for abortion patients.
—U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson temporarily halted the Trump administration’s termination of DEI programs.

… and more.

Montana Lawmakers Vote Down Bill That Would Have Treated Cross-Border Abortion Seekers as Traffickers of Their ‘Unborn Children’

On Nov. 5, 2024, Montana voters decisively approved a ballot initiative enshrining the right to abortion up until fetal viability (about 24 weeks gestation) in the state Constitution.

On Monday, Feb. 24, Montana Republicans introduced a radical antiabortion “trafficking” bill that would have made seeking an out-of-state abortion after viability, or simply helping someone get one, a felony.

Late on Thursday, Feb. 27, after intense and emotional committee hearings, eight Democratic lawmakers joined eight Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee to vote down the bill, HB 609. Four Republicans still voted in support of it.

GenBioPro Enters Texas Battle to Preserve Mifepristone Access

The pharmaceutical company GenBioPro filed a motion on Tuesday, Feb. 25, to intervene in Missouri et al. v. FDA, a lawsuit in Texas challenging FDA regulation of the drug mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug regimen for the termination of early pregnancy. GenBioPro is the sole U.S. manufacturer of generic mifepristone, which the FDA approved in 2019 and is now the majority of mifepristone sold in the U.S.

In the Texas lawsuit, the attorneys general of Missouri, Kansas and Idaho are attempting to remove generic mifepristone from the market and severely restrict the brand-name mifepristone, Mifeprex made by Danco, in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

“All people have a right to access safe, affordable, evidence-based healthcare, and GenBioPro remains committed to using all legal and regulatory tools to protect mifepristone for millions of patients and providers across the country,” said Evan Masingill, CEO of GenBioPro.

Pentagon Reverses Policy of Reimbursement for Abortion Travel—Fighting ‘Wokeness’ in the Military at the Expense of Service Members

The Pentagon’s decision to rescind abortion travel reimbursements—following Trump’s executive order enforcing the Hyde Amendment—has sparked fierce opposition from lawmakers and veterans’ advocates, who argue it endangers servicewomen and undermines military readiness.

Sen. Jean Shaheen condemned the move for sending a message that women in the military “are not as valuable as their male counterparts,” while Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot, called it “deeply personal,” noting that if she were stationed in Texas or Florida today, she “wouldn’t have had healthcare.”

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America echoed these concerns, insisting that “those who are serving and sacrificing for us deserve so much more” than this “wrongheaded and out-of-touch” policy reversal.

Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.

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ProPublica’s investigation reveals that Texas’ abortion ban has led to a sharp rise in life-threatening complications, particularly sepsis, for women experiencing pregnancy loss.

Since the ban’s enactment, the rate of sepsis during second-trimester pregnancy loss has surged by over 50 percent, and maternal deaths in Texas hospitals have increased significantly, even as the national maternal mortality rate declined. Doctors cite the law’s vague emergency exception and the threat of legal consequences as key reasons for dangerous delays in care.

While some Texas lawmakers now acknowledge the need for legal clarifications, the Republican-controlled legislature remains divided, with some pushing for even stricter abortion penalties.