U.S. Repro Watch provides periodic updates on news of interest on U.S. reproductive rights. Here are five recent updates you won’t want to miss.

1. President Donald Trump issued a shocking memo threatening lawyers and law firms that file lawsuits against his administration.

• The memo authorizes Trump administration officials to sanction law firms that file lawsuits they deem “frivolous.” In office for just over two months, the Trump administration has been sued more than 130 times, with judges issuing numerous injunctions against the administration’s actions.
• “The goal is to bully lawyers out of taking on any case that challenges the administration, leaving everyday Americans with no recourse to fight back when fundamental freedoms—including their reproductive rights—are violated,” said Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, in a statement.

2. Louisiana began tracking clinicians’ prescriptions of abortion drugs.

• Louisiana clinicians must now log prescriptions for drugs used for abortions into a monitoring database. The database by tech company Bamboo Health is traditionally used for addictive drugs such as opioids.
• The reporting requirement falls under a Louisiana law reclassifying mifepristone and misoprostol—which are used in medication abortion—as “controlled substances.”
• Besides being used for medication abortion care, mifepristone and misoprostol are used to treat a wide range of conditions, including postpartum hemorrhage, miscarriages, and hormonal disorders. The tracking raises concerns that health care providers may be reluctant to provide life-saving care for fear of prosecution.

3. Arizona lawmakers proposed new restrictions on abortion, defying the will of Arizonans.

• Arizona lawmakers proposed a bill that would restrict access to medication abortion, even though voters enshrined abortion rights into the state constitution last year.
• If enacted, the bill would require doctors prescribing medication abortion to examine the patient in person, test the patient’s blood, and provide stigmatizing and misleading information. Advocates describe the bill as “fear mongering based on junk science.”
• Earlier this month in a case brought by the Center, an Arizona judge ruled the state’s 15-week ban unconstitutional and permanently blocked it.

4. Emergency abortion care will be protected for now throughout Idaho’s largest health system.

• A federal judge issued a ruling shielding Idaho doctors in the St. Luke’s Health System from prosecution under the state’s total abortion ban for providing emergency abortion care.
• St. Luke’s, which sued the state, reported that six patients had to be airlifted out of state to receive emergency care while Idaho’s total abortion ban was in effect.

5. Dr. Oz’s nomination clears Senate committee.

• Dr. Mehmet Oz (yes, that Dr. Oz of TV fame) commonly spreads misinformation on health and wellness. But he’s the Trump administration’s nominee to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In that role, he will oversee federal programs providing health coverage to more than 160 million people. His nomination was advanced after being approved by a Senate committee on March 25.
• Check out Repro Red Flags: Agency Watch for updates on President Trump’s anti-repro appointees and executive actions endangering reproductive health and rights.

Did you know?

Births increased in states banning abortion after average travel distance to abortion clinics jumped by 600%.

After the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the federal right to abortion in 2022, the average travel distance to an abortion clinic increased from 50 miles to 300 miles in states banning abortion. According to a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, those states have seen an increase in births—particularly among Hispanic and Black women, those without a college degree, and single women.

The number of Iowans seeking financial help to access out-of-state abortion care has tripled since the state’s abortion ban took effect.

Organizations including the Chicago Abortion Fund, the Iowa Abortion Access Fund, the Nebraska Abortion Resources Fund, and Our Justice have provided a total of $250,000 in financial assistance to Iowans seeking abortions since the ban took effect in July. The state’s abortion ban has disproportionately affected low-income patients, who now face additional costs for transportation, lodging, and childcare.

Coming Up

April 2: U.S. Supreme Court to hear Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.

• South Carolina is seeking to terminate Planned Parenthood as an eligible provider for patients using Medicaid. The Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether Medicaid recipients can sue over the right to choose their own qualified health care provider. Arguments will be livestreamed on the Supreme Court’s website.
• The Center submitted an amicus brief in the case arguing that if the court rules in South Carolina’s favor, it could significantly impact access to health services—particularly for low-income communities and communities of color, many of whom rely on both Medicaid and Planned Parenthood for a range of health care services from cancer screenings to contraceptive care.