Justice Dept. To Challenge States To Prevent ‘Overreach’ On Abortion
The task force will monitor and evaluate state and local legislation and determine whether the federal government should bring legal action. Also, Democratic lawmakers schedule a series of hearings in Congress on the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed a right to abortion.
The Washington Post:
Justice Dept. Announces Task Force To Fight Overreach On Abortion Bans
The Justice Department is launching a “reproductive rights task force” to marshal federal legal resources aimed at preventing overreach from state and local governments seeking to impose new bans on abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, officials said Tuesday. Justice officials said the move should consolidate work that was underway in the months leading up to the high court’s June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which struck down federal safeguards for abortion that had stood for five decades. (Nakamura and Roubein, 7/12)
The U.S. territory of Guam clarifies its stance on abortion —
AP:
Telemedicine Abortion Continues On Guam After Roe Overturned
Guam’s attorney general said a 1990 law that prohibited virtually all abortion is invalid and won’t take effect even though the U.S. Supreme Court last month overturned the national right to abortion outlined in Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide. That means the status quo allowing women to obtain abortions via telemedicine may continue in the predominantly Catholic U.S. territory in the Pacific. (McAvoy, 7/13)
In abortion news from Capitol Hill —
Politico:
Congress Tees Up Bills To Protect Travel For Abortion
Bills aimed at protecting a person’s ability to cross state lines to seek reproductive care could see action in the House and Senate later this week — though neither bill has a clear path to becoming law, especially in the Senate. The House plans to bring its bill to the floor on Friday; Senate Democratic leadership could attempt to call the bill up for a voice vote on the Senate floor later this week, though Republicans are expected to block it. (Snyder and Ollstein, 7/12)
Houston Chronicle:
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher Leads Effort To Protect Travel For Abortions
Many groups that helped Texans travel out of state for abortions since the state’s six-week abortion ban went into effect in September 2021 have paused their operations to review the ruling and its impact. The Ensuring Access to Abortion Act, authored by U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, a Houston Democrat, would make it clear that the freedom to travel to other states is a constitutional right, and would prohibit states from restricting travel for those seeking to obtain a lawful abortion. (Wermund, 7/12)
Roll Call:
Senate Judiciary Kicks Off Series Of Abortion Policy Hearings
The Judiciary hearing is the first of five congressional hearings on the aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision to be held over an eight-day period. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, House Oversight and Reform, House Judiciary and House Energy and Commerce committees will also have hearings in the coming days. (Raman, 7/12)
AP:
DNC Ads Warn Voters That GOP Wants Nationwide Abortion Ban
The Democratic National Committee is launching a digital ad campaign to energize its voters after last month’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, warning that Republicans’ ultimate goal is to outlaw abortion nationwide. The committee is sponsoring an at least $10,000 ad buy beginning Tuesday on the websites of more than 20 lifestyle publications, including Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Essence, GQ, Men’s Health and Esquire. (Weissert, 7/12)
On insurance coverage —
KHN:
Three Things To Know About Insurance Coverage For Abortion
Will your health plan pay for an abortion now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade? Even before the June 24 ruling, insurance coverage for abortion varied widely. Now the issue is even more complex as states set varying rules — about half are expected to limit or ban abortion in almost all circumstances. (Appleby, 7/13)
Abortions Legal Again In Louisiana As Judge Grants Temporary Order
The yo-yoing legal position on abortions in Louisiana, with Tuesday’s restraining order blocking enforcement of state bans that were triggered just last month, is leaving abortion-seekers and providers “scrambling” to respond, says The New York Times. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s governor says he’ll protect out-of-state abortion seekers.
The New York Times:
Louisiana Judge Allows Abortions To Become Legal Again
Abortions became legal again in Louisiana on Tuesday after a Baton Rouge judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the state’s abortion bans from being enforced. The judge’s decision was the latest in a series of legal maneuvers that have jolted the legal status of abortions in the state, leaving women and providers scrambling to adapt. One of the few remaining abortion clinics in the state said it would resume providing the procedure. (Zernike, 7/12)
In abortion updates from Pennsylvania and Indiana —
AP:
Pennsylvania Governor Says He’ll Protect Abortion Seekers
Gov. Tom Wolf is following in the footsteps of other Democratic governors following the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion ruling and looking to protect patients who travel to Pennsylvania for the procedure from being prosecuted by their home states. Wolf on Tuesday said in a statement that he would refuse a request from any other state to arrest or detain any out-of-state resident who had traveled to Pennsylvania to seek an abortion, as well as anyone providing or assisting with it. (7/12)
AP:
Indiana Governor Won’t Specify Anti-Abortion Steps He Backs
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb sidestepped taking a stance Tuesday on how far the Republican-dominated Legislature should go in restricting abortions when state lawmakers begin a special session in less than two weeks. Republican legislative leaders have provided no details on whether they will push for a full abortion ban or allow exceptions, such as in cases of rape, incest or to protect the woman’s life. (Davies, 7/12)
From Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia —
The Texas Tribune:
Texas IVF Treatments Can Continue After Supreme Court Ruling
Abortion bans across the country have thrown into question the fate of in vitro fertilization, an expensive medical process that helps people become pregnant. But experts and anti-abortion groups say Texas’ laws shouldn’t apply to IVF treatment, and clinics across the state are proceeding with the procedures for now. (Mendez, 7/13)
AP:
Memphis Council Resolution Addresses Abortion Prosecutions
The Memphis City Council approved a resolution Tuesday urging that law enforcement and the district attorney in Tennessee’s most populous county refrain from investigating and prosecuting doctors who perform abortions. (Sainz and Kruesi, 7/12)
The Washington Post:
Antiabortion Activists Sentenced For Trespassing At Alexandria Clinic
Two antiabortion activists who claimed earlier this year to have obtained dozens of fetuses from a D.C. facility that provides abortions were sent to jail Tuesday for trespassing at an Alexandria women’s clinic last year. Lauren Handy, who faces similar charges in multiple cases around the country, was sentenced in Alexandria District Court to 30 days in jail, starting immediately. Terrisa Bukovinac was sentenced to four days. (Boorstein, 7/12)
Clinics cope in Illinois, Arizona, and New Mexico —
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
In Senate Testimony, Illinois Abortion Provider Describes ‘Mass Chaos’ Since Roe Overturned
The number of out-of-state patients traveling to Illinois for an abortion has doubled in the more than two weeks that states have been allowed to ban abortion, and doctors in states like Missouri where abortion is restricted except in cases of medical emergencies are unsure how to care for pregnant patients when their health is threatened. (Munz, 7/12)
AP:
Big Arizona Provider Won’t Resume Abortions Despite Ruling
The leader of Arizona’s largest abortion provider said Tuesday her organization will not resume the procedures in one county even though a federal judge has blocked a fetal “personhood” law they feared could lead to criminal charges against doctors and others. Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona, blamed “vague and confusing” statements from Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich about a near-total pre-statehood ban on abortions for the decision. (Christie, 7/12)
NPR:
New Mexico Clinic Performing Later Abortions Braces For Surge
On a Friday afternoon outside Southwestern Women’s Options in Albuquerque, N.M., a protester grips a cardboard box overflowing with small, plastic baby figurines. A man reclines in the driver’s seat of a truck, a baseball cap over his eyes. Inside, there is not a single empty chair in the pale pink waiting room of the clinic. One woman covers her face, quietly sobbing. Another wearing a shirt that barely buttons over her belly calmly fills out paperwork. (Benninghoff, 7/13)
In related news on motherhood in Wyoming, Ohio, and California —
Wyoming Public Radio:
Wyoming Prenatal And Postpartum Care Down In New Mothers
The most recent Wyoming Kids Count Data Book shows that one out of every five women in the state received less than adequate prenatal care in 2020. Plus, the number of women dying during pregnancy, delivery or up to one year after giving birth is increasing as well. This is part of a nationwide trend. (Kudelska, 7/12)
Columbus Dispatch:
Ohio Abortion Law: Child Care, Paid Leave Limited For Pregnant People
Politicians, religious organizations and groups that oppose abortion called for financial resources to support people navigating unplanned pregnancies. They touted controversial pregnancy resource centers. They said they want to ensure pregnant people aren’t backed into a corner, feeling forced to get an abortion. In Ohio, abortion-rights advocates say that’s all talk. (BeMiller, 7/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Pregnant And Homeless In Los Angeles: Meet McKenzie
Mckenzie was 22, and 6½ months pregnant. Her boyfriend, Eddie, 26, was HIV-positive, although his viral load was undetectable and he could not transmit the virus through sex. … She made an appointment for an abortion but couldn’t go through with it. Still, she remained “terrified” of having the baby. The odds were heavily stacked against her raising her child to adulthood. Mckenzie’s family came out of poverty in Louisiana‘s Cajun Country, and for three generations had been buffeted by domestic violence, mental illness and homelessness, and caught up in child welfare cases. Her mother, Cynthia “Mama Cat” Trahan, was taken from her mom at age 5 and placed in foster care. Mckenzie and Cat were homeless on and off during her childhood, and Mckenzie was also put in foster care. (Holland, 7/13)
