This Week in Abortion, The Team Grows
A collection of good reads, events from the week, and policy insights.
This Week in Abortion welcomes Mollie Foust to the team! Mollie has a brilliant policy mind and brings energy, passion, and personal experience to the newsletter. Mollie hopes you’ll honor her arrival by diving into the Good Reads this week!
Good Reads
Jessica Valenti, who writes a daily newsletter on abortion, posted a compelling interview this week with a woman whose insurance company denied her an IUD. GuideStone was exempt, since at least 2021, from covering IUDs on religious grounds. It’s an exemption the Biden administration is trying to get rid of, but it’s not immediately clear they can. Even though most of these plans are associated with religious employers, it’s worth adding “check my contraception coverage” to your to-do list, if you happen to have a uterus.
Access in NC went from probably fine, to definitely at risk thanks to a near Republican supermajority and rule changes made by state legislators last month. Axios breaks down the anti-access policy possibilities and countermeasures.
“Muslim-American opinions on abortion are complex. What does Islam actually say?”
After the election, Rachel noted ballot initiatives were only going to be a winning strategy in a few key states. Now, legislators in conservative states are working to narrow the list even further, luckily it looks like Ohio will see something on the ballot later this year.
Events in the News
Don’t be surprised if you see anti-access protestors outside your local pharmacy on Saturday rallying against over-the-counter abortion medications. They put this map together if you want to know where to avoid or witness in-person. Reproaction also has a counter-petition urging pharmacies to “stock abortion pills in your stores now!”
The race to 2024 has begun! The RNC called on Republicans to pass laws “that acknowledge the beating hearts and experiences of pain in the unborn,” and continued to push a strategy of painting Democrats as abortion extremists. The most influential group in the anti-access movement followed up by letting all presidential hopefuls know they need to sign on or get taken down.
MA opened its own legal support hotline, just as OR did last week. This is clearly something other states will add to their to-do list. It will be interesting to see what kind of questions these hotlines get and who they most help, my bet is out-of-state patients and their in-state providers. But could be closer to home as well, according to a new poll, “the legality of medication abortion…and emergency contraceptives are a big source of confusion for adults in the U.S.”
El Paso City Council wants the City to deprioritize abortion investigations. Meanwhile, in Idaho, a bill (likely to pass) withholds sales taxes for sanctuary cities that do not enforce state laws - with a special call out to cities ignoring the state’s abortion laws. This City vs State strategy is gaining popularity on both sides.
Legal Updates
The National Women’s Law Center filed a federal civil rights complaint on behalf of MO resident Mylissa Farmer who struggled to secure care last year after her water broke at 18 weeks. The complaint, “alleges that [hospitals in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois] discriminated against her based on her sex.”
Abortion providers and advocates are challenging West Virginia’s abortion ban, saying the ban is both irrational and unconstitutional.