In a decisive ruling on Thursday, the New Mexico Supreme Court invalidated several local ordinances aimed at restricting the distribution of the abortion pill. The court unanimously concluded that these ordinances infringe upon the state legislature’s authority over reproductive healthcare. Court’s Rationale and Legislative Authority Justice C. Shannon Bacon, writing for the court, emphasized that…
In a major legal decision, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that the Biden administration likely overstepped its authority by issuing a privacy rule designed to protect women seeking abortions and patients receiving gender-affirming care. The judge, known for his previous rulings on reproductive healthcare, granted a preliminary injunction to block the U.S. Department of…
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took legal action on Friday against a New York doctor, accusing her of prescribing abortion pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. This lawsuit, the first of its kind, challenges the limits of conservative states’ authority to prevent the distribution of abortion pills across state lines. The Conflict Between State…
Tennessee’s abortion ban faces scrutiny over its medical emergency exception, as a court has ruled the language lacks clarity. This ruling prevents the state from enforcing the ban in specific medical situations while a lawsuit progresses, initiated by doctors and women who claim they were denied necessary abortions. On Thursday, a three-judge panel from the…
California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, sued Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka on Monday, accusing the Catholic hospital of refusing to provide an emergency abortion to a woman in February, despite her water breaking prematurely, which put her at risk of life-threatening infection and hemorrhage. Bonta charged the hospital with discriminating against pregnant patients and…
Montana’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that a law requiring minors to obtain parental consent before seeking an abortion violated the state’s constitution, siding with Planned Parenthood in a legal challenge. Justice Laurie McKinnon, writing for the unanimous court, asserted that “a minor’s right to control her reproductive decisions is among the most fundamental of…
A Kansas woman sued the University of Kansas Health System on Tuesday for refusing to give her a medically necessary abortion in 2022, accusing the hospital of violating federal emergency room treatment laws. Mylissa Farmer’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Kansas City, marks the first case against a hospital for withholding an abortion under…
Iowa enforced a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy on Monday, making it the 22nd state to impose broad restrictions on ending pregnancies since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights in 2022. Iowa’s state Supreme Court ruled against a challenge by Planned Parenthood last month, allowing the law to take effect.…
Supporters of a ballot measure that aims to amend Arizona’s constitution to establish a right to abortion sued Republican lawmakers on Wednesday over the language used in a voter pamphlet. Arizona for Abortion Access, the group behind the ballot measure, argued that the phrase “unborn human” in the pamphlet is not neutral. They filed the…
On Friday, Kansas’ highest court permanently blocked the state from enforcing a law that banned the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. The court ruled that the ban violated the right to abortion under the state constitution, a right the court had recognized in 2019. In a 5-1 ruling, the Kansas Supreme Court, with one justice…