The attorneys general of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama have filed a motion with the Supreme Court asking it to stop California, Massachusetts, and New York from enforcing 'shield laws' that protect doctors who prescribe abortion drugs illegally to residents of pro-life states. A separate lawsuit names 30 individuals and organizations accused of coordinating the illegal mailing of abortion drugs to pro-life states, resulting in thousands of abortions and medical emergencies in those states each month.
A proposed constitutional amendment in Virginia, presented as protecting reproductive freedom, would establish abortion as a fundamental right and could invalidate existing parental consent laws and third-trimester abortion restrictions. The amendment's broad language may also raise concerns about its impact on religious liberty and pro-life speech, while limiting the state's ability to regulate late-term abortions based on a physician's judgment of physical or mental health.
The Hyde Amendment, enacted 50 years ago by Congressman Henry Hyde, prohibits federal funds from being used for elective abortions and has been credited with saving an estimated 2.6 million lives. Despite ongoing challenges and legal efforts to remove it, the amendment remains in effect and was upheld by the U.S.
A 19-year-old University of Houston football player, Carmello Brooks, was charged with assault of a pregnant woman after allegedly attacking his girlfriend for refusing to take an abortion pill. Ohio doctor Hassan Abbas received a six-month jail sentence after force-feeding his pregnant girlfriend abortion drugs, resulting in her losing the baby and requiring emergency medical care due to hemorrhaging.
A wrongful death lawsuit alleges that Texas' heartbeat law contributed to the death of Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old woman with multiple chronic health conditions, but medical experts argue that her care was mishandled independently of the abortion law. Texas' heartbeat law and subsequent Life Of The Mother Act provide exceptions for abortions in medical emergencies, and experts state that doctors are legally permitted to intervene when a pregnancy complication could lead to death, contradicting claims that the law prevented necessary medical care.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is seeking to punish pro-life organizations Heartbeat International and RealOptions for informing women about abortion pill reversal, demanding millions in penalties and restrictions on their speech. Three women testified in court that after taking mifepristone and regretting their decision, they sought and received help from these organizations to continue their pregnancies, resulting in healthy children and highlighting the impact of the contested information described by California as 'hope.
Virginia voters will decide on November 3rd two amendments sponsored by Northern Virginia Democrats: one to enshrine unrestricted abortion rights up to birth in the state constitution, and another to remove the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage while codifying recognition of transgender identity. The abortion amendment would protect a broad range of reproductive health care including abortion and reduce parental oversight, while the same-sex marriage amendment eliminates religious liberty protections and supports commercial surrogacy as a family formation method for homosexual couples.
The ongoing issues in the largely unregulated commercial surrogacy industry in the United States, highlighting legal and ethical complications such as a custody battle involving an Alaskan surrogate and the exploitation of surrogacy loopholes by foreigners, including Chinese billionaire Xu Bo who allegedly purchased over 100 children born on U.S. soil for citizenship purposes.
A federal appellate court shot down on Thursday a rogue judge’s bid to “defy” the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision permitting lawmakers to regulate abortion policy. In a newly released order, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily paused an August ruling by Idaho-based Senior District Judge B. Lynn Winmill. The Clinton appointee seemingly infringed […]
Bateman surveys pro-life organizations’ priorities for 2025, including funding restrictions, abortion-drug regulation, and challenges to limits on public advocacy. Drawing on interviews with movement leaders, she describes litigation and grassroots efforts intended to advance those goals.