In November, voters in Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia will decide on abortion-related ballot initiatives that could either protect or expand abortion rights in their states. These measures include Idaho's Proposition 1 to create a right to abortion, Missouri's Amendment 3 to repeal the constitutional right to abortion, Nevada's Question 6 to establish a constitutional right to abortion, and Virginia's reproductive freedom amendment allowing abortion at any point in pregnancy with a broad health exception.
The Texas Supreme Court has allowed Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against Yelp to proceed, challenging the company's use of labels on pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) that Paxton alleges are misleading because they were applied uniformly to all PRCs regardless of whether they have licensed medical professionals onsite. Yelp had initially placed labels stating that PRCs typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals, but changed the label after the lawsuit to say PRCs do not offer abortions or referrals, and the legal dispute continues after lower courts reinstated Paxton's suit despite Yelp's attempts to dismiss it.
Zachery Holmes was convicted of second degree murder and second degree feticide for the 2019 shooting death of Tychelle Ridgley, who was eight and one-half months pregnant, and her preborn baby, Me’Lo Alexander, in Louisiana. Holmes was also found guilty of attempted first-degree murder and other charges related to the shooting of Ridgley's boyfriend, Melvin Boudreaux, who survived, and he faces a mandatory life sentence without parole scheduled for sentencing on November 13.
A recent SLU/YouGov poll of 900 likely Missouri voters in August shows a close split on Amendment 3, with 43% planning to vote yes and 44% planning to vote no, reflecting a decline in support since February when 50% supported it. The amendment seeks to reinstate regulations on abortion facilities, restore informed consent and parental consent for minors, limit taxpayer funding for abortion, prohibit fetal organ harvesting, and ban transgender procedures for minors, while not banning abortion in cases of rape, incest, emergencies, or fetal anomalies.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Cedar Park Assembly of God in Washington is not exempt from the state's Reproductive Parity Act, which requires employers to include abortion coverage in insurance plans if maternity coverage is offered. The court found that the church failed to prove the law was hostile to religion and noted the church could have purchased insurance excluding abortion coverage but chose not to do so.
Virginia Bishop Michael Burbidge directed priests in the Diocese of Arlington to read a letter at every Sunday Mass urging Catholics to vote 'no' on two proposed amendments to the state constitution that would broaden abortion access and introduce gender ideology. He described the amendments as 'radically unjust,' emphasizing the threats they pose to the sacredness of human life and traditional marriage, and encouraged participation in the 'Catholics Vote No' campaign to oppose these measures.
The family of Tierra Walker filed a lawsuit against Texas officials and medical professionals, alleging that the state's pro-life law prevented doctors from performing an abortion that they claim was the only stabilizing treatment for her preeclampsia and other health conditions. Medical experts and reports indicate that the standard of care for severe preeclampsia is early delivery to save the mother and baby, not an induced abortion, and Walker's death was likely due to subpar medical care rather than the abortion law itself.
Canada will hold a vote on October 7 on Bill C-218, which aims to prevent mental illness from qualifying someone for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), with the program set to expand to include mental illness in March 2027 if the bill fails. MP Andrew Lawton, who has personal experience with mental illness and suicidal ideation, supports the bill, emphasizing the importance of hope and recovery rather than assisted death for those suffering from mental disorders.
Two women, Clara Munger Boyer and KPS, have filed a federal lawsuit against Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS), alleging they were coerced into abortions without proper informed consent or counseling at Planned Parenthood facilities in Minnesota. Both women describe experiencing significant pressure from family members and the fathers of their babies, with PPMNS staff failing to provide adequate information about the abortion procedures or address their moral objections and distress before performing the abortions.
On September 14, the Snyder, Texas City Council unanimously advanced an ordinance declaring the city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, which prohibits elective abortions and abortion trafficking within the city and extends enforcement from detectable heartbeat to fertilization. A similar ordinance was considered and tabled by the Jayton City Council, and both ordinances align with a measure previously adopted by Scurry County, featuring private enforcement mechanisms targeting abortion providers and traffickers but not penalizing women seeking abortions.
Closing arguments in the case against the California Attorney General, filed by Thomas More Society on behalf of Heartbeat International and RealOptions, are scheduled for September 17, 2026, in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland after a nearly three-year legal battle and six-week bench trial. The defendants argue that the Attorney General failed to prove their speech about Abortion Pill Reversal is commercial, false, or misleading, and no evidence was presented of any woman harmed by APR, which remains legal and approved for continuing education in California.
A Greek couple, Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi and Constantinos Raptis, welcomed a baby girl named Georgia after implanting an embryo that had been frozen for 22 years following the death of their 21-year-old son Giorgos in a motor accident. Due to Greek law restricting IVF procedures after age 54, they had a limited window to implant the embryo, and they have not ruled out the possibility of implanting other frozen embryos in the future.
A woman who lost seven babies through missed miscarriages shared her experience of profound grief and the physical and emotional challenges she faced. She also works as a sidewalk counselor and hopes her story will help women understand the reality of abortion and choose life.
CBS News conducted a year-long investigation into the surrogacy industry, revealing widespread abuses including the exploitation of vulnerable women such as undocumented immigrants and single mothers, lack of transparency about intended parents, and surrogacy farming where multiple surrogates are contracted simultaneously without their knowledge. California was identified as a central hub for surrogacy due to favorable laws and geographic location, but the industry remains largely under-regulated, allowing practices like multiple surrogates for one intended parent to occur without legal oversight.
An OH doctor who forced his girlfriend to take the abortion pill against her will has received a sentence of just six months in jail, plus two years probation.
A bill requiring community college campuses in CA to offer the abortion pill has passed the state's legislature and is now at the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom.
Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit to overturn Wisconsin's pro-life laws: a 24-hour waiting period and a stipulation that only physicians can commit abortions.
Blaise Taylor poisoned his girlfriend's lemonade with cocaine. During the trial, the medical examiner said the level was higher than anything she'd seen before.
VA's Court of Appeals will hear the appeal in a lawsuit about the state’s proposed pro-abortion amendment instead of sending it to the state supreme court.
Flanders reports that University of New Mexico administrators and state officials are planning a second publicly funded abortion facility. The article connects the proposal to earlier appropriations and a facility already under construction in Las Cruces.
The Indiana Supreme Court heard arguments on a religious-freedom challenge to abortion restrictions in the state. The case involves plaintiffs' claims and the history of injunctions that prompted the state's appeal.
Cooke describes two British couples facing the destruction of stored embryos after sperm donors withdrew consent. She discusses their calls for legal change and frames the dispute around the moral status of embryos.
Flanders reports on an indictment alleging that a Kentucky man replaced his pregnant girlfriend's medication with an abortion drug without her knowledge. She summarizes the reported evidence and places the allegation alongside other cases of coerced or nonconsensual abortion.
Cooke reports that a federal judge temporarily blocked Illinois assisted-suicide legislation following a challenge by religious plaintiffs. She distinguishes that action from a separate disability-rights lawsuit and outlines the law's scheduled implementation.
Cooke reports that the House of Commons rejected a reintroduced assisted-suicide bill. The article recounts the proposal's earlier failure and presents the result as a victory for opponents of legalization.
Cooke examines newly released details of a Dutch child-euthanasia case and the official review of the physicians' conduct. She argues that the reported circumstances raise concerns about disability and expanded eligibility for ending children's lives.
Flanders criticizes a New York Times feature about a business providing assisted-death services after New York's legalization. She argues that commercial promotion of assisted death conflicts with suicide prevention and the purpose of healthcare.
