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.

Anti-Abortion Politics Hinder Access to Important Fibroid Treatment: Mifepristone

Millions of U.S. women are debilitated each year by fibroids, which are noncancerous growths of the uterus that can cause heavy periods, severe pain, and difficulty conceiving. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, over 26 million in the U.S. have fibroids. Fibroids are often treated with invasive surgery to remove the fibroids or with hysterectomies.

Research has shown that mifepristone can significantly reduce fibroids. Yet, it is not available for that use in the United States.

Iowa’s ‘Six-Week’ Abortion Ban Is Blocked For Now. But Remember: ‘Six Weeks’ Is Actually Two

Late Tuesday night, Iowa’s state legislature voted to ban most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) will sign the bill on Friday, and it will take immediate effect. Once passed, there will be two states—Iowa and Georgia—that ban abortion after around six weeks since a person’s last menstrual period. Total bans are in effect in 14 additional states: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Laws that restrict abortion in this way rely on “scientific” claims that have very little grounding in actual science, and fly in the face of medical expertise. After all, most women don’t even know they’re pregnant when only six weeks along.

How the Overturning of Roe Is Causing a Ripple Effect in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, where I am from, abortion has been legal under a broad range of circumstances for 18 years, empowering women to take control of their futures and saving countless lives. I am so proud of the steps the government in Ethiopia has taken to expand access to abortion over the last two decades. Still, since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the U.S. last year, these gains are looking increasingly vulnerable.

‘Stick It’ to the Man!

When my next assignment came for a work trip to Florida, I felt deeply conflicted. Saying no and cutting off half the country seemed like an emotional overreaction. Still, I also felt terrible about contributing to a state economy where my tax dollars could be used to fund hateful legislation, control women’s bodies, or ban books. My darling stepkid is exploring gender fluidity; this smart, thoughtful teenager would be having a very different, very dark high school experience if we happened to live in the Sunshine State.

And then I went on Etsy.

Abortion Doulas: Care Work as a Theory of Change

In You or Someone You Love: Reflections from an Abortion Doula, Hannah Matthews reminds us that there is so much more to abortion access than just the law. An abortion doula and clinic worker, Matthews shifts our attention to the importance of care work and networks of support for expanding abortion access. weaving in real abortion stories with resources for accessing reproductive healthcare, along with occasional affirmations and acts of kindness.

The Dark Money Fight Against Abortion Access: A Year in Review

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Dark money groups, far from standing down after they succeeded in abolishing Americans’ constitutional right to decide if and when to have children, have ramped up their efforts to further limit reproductive rights since the right-wing faction on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade a year ago.

Behind this attack on our rights is a web of groups funded by ultra-rich donors and coordinated by far-right lawyer and longtime Federalist Society leader Leonard Leo.

Without Roe, Abortion Pills Are More Important Than Ever. We Must Remove Barriers.

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Since the fall of Roe, at least 66 clinics have stopped providing abortion care. Many people have found essential care by purchasing abortion pills online and having them delivered by mail.

As we continue into the post-Roe future, we must address the inequalities that limit these innovations in states where telehealth is legal, but also in states where it is illegal.

The Anti-Abortion Movement Is Pumping Resources into Promoting Fake Clinics—And Google Is Helping

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Abortion opponents are now targeting states where abortion remains legal, such as Massachusetts, by pumping resources into a spider web of anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) that work to entrap people searching for reproductive healthcare. And Google made $10.2 million over the last two years running deceptive advertisements for these fake clinics.

“Google … is more than willing to allow advertisers to lie, deceive, limit users’ rights to good information and to healthcare, as long as they get paid in the process.”

Betrayal of the States: A Look at the 12 Months Since the Dobbs Decision

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Rabbi Dan Fink and Rabbi Dena Feingold detail the repercussions of the Dobbs decision in their home states of Wisconsin and Idaho, as well as the desperate need for state legislatures to reflect the views of their constituencies.

“They’re using Christianity to enforce restrictions on all Americans. And just as we suspected, the reign of terror did not end with abortion rights. … Some have responded, ‘If you don’t like it here, then why don’t you just move?’ The answer is simple: That’s not love. … And love—exemplified by fighting for policies that protect all of our neighbors and their fundamental rights—is how we will ultimately prevail.”