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

Mifepristone access

1. Access to mifepristone remains unchanged, for now, after a federal court’s ruling.

• A federal court rejected Louisiana’s request to block the use of telehealth for receiving abortion pills by mail.
• However, Louisiana has already appealed the ruling, and the case could move quickly through the courts.
• The FDA is currently conducting its own politically motivated investigation into the abortion pill mifepristone, despite its long-standing safety record.

Attorneys protecting clinics fired by Trump

2. The Trump administration fired numerous attorneys who prosecuted people for attacking abortion clinics.

• The Department of Justice fired four attorneys who used the FACE Act to prosecute anti-abortion extremists who attacked abortion clinics. Last year, the Trump administration pardoned 23 people after they were convicted by a jury of their peers for attacking abortion clinics.
• One clinic owner said, “Our clinic was under attack that day—there is no other way to describe it…I am worried for my safety now that Trump has given these zealots his blessing. Who can we call now? Who will protect us?”

Trump admin promotes pregnancy over contraception

3. The Trump administration indicated changes to a long-standing family planning program, to promote pregnancy over contraception.

• The Trump administration released new priorities for the Title X Family Planning Program, which promote “family formation” over contraception, and reframe the program around addressing chronic disease.
• The announcement promotes “natural family planning” methods and criticizes pharmaceutical use.
• The Title X program was created under the Nixon Administration to ensure low-income Americans can afford birth control and other reproductive health care. Each year, the Title X program provides millions of low-income patients nationwide with affordable birth control, STD testing, and more.

New WI judge elected

4. Wisconsin voters elected a Supreme Court judge whose campaign focused on abortion rights.

• In a major win for abortion rights, Democrat-backed Chris Taylor beat the Republican-backed candidate by a significant margin.
• This win bolsters the court’s liberal majority from 4-3 to 5-2. The court is expected to take up hot-button cases on issues like abortion and union restrictions in the coming years.

Ohio judge attacks abortion amendment

5. An Ohio judge is seeking to overturn a voter-approved constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights.

• A Republican-appointed juvenile court judge is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to block part, or all, of the abortion rights amendment that voters passed in 2023.
• He is arguing that the amendment limits his ability to deny abortions to minors whose parents object. That is what the amendment was intended to do–guarantee reproductive autonomy, including for minors.
• This challenge is part of a broader effort by anti-abortion officials to undermine the will of Ohioans, who voted in support of abortion access. This is a test of whether a GOP dominated Ohio Supreme Court will go against voters’ will.

Federal judge rules against abortion insurance coverage

6. A federal judge in Oregon ruled that a state law requiring insurance plans to cover abortion and contraception violates religious freedom rights.

• A federal judge ruled that Oregon’s Reproductive Health Equity Act cannot be applied to anti-abortion advocacy group, Oregon Right to Life.
• The judge found that requiring an inclusion of abortion and contraception coverage in employee insurance violates First Amendment religious freedom rights.
• The law otherwise remains in effect statewide. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the state will appeal, stressing that the ruling is narrow and does not change coverage today.
• Governor Tina Kotek, and various health care providers, warned the decision could lead employers and insurers to file religious exemption claims, undermining one of the strongest abortion coverage laws in the country.

Did you know?

Did you know?

Since the late 1980s, pregnancy rates have been falling for people age 24 or younger. In contrast, pregnancy rates among older age groups have been mostly increasing since 1973. The rate for women aged 35 and older reached a historic high in 2019. Pregnancy rates among women aged 15-19 and 20-24 were generally highest in the South and Southwest, while pregnancy rates for older women were generally highest in the Northwest and Northeast.

State lawmakers are continuing to push new and expanded abortion bans. In South Carolina, where abortion is banned after six weeks of pregnancy, legislators are advancing a total abortion ban that would criminalize pregnant people. In Missouri, abortion opponents are organizing a coordinated 2026 ballot measure to overturn voters’ decision to protect abortion rights in the state constitution. In Wyoming, lawmakers recently passed a new six week ban even though the state’s supreme court struck down a nearly identical ban.

Coming up

Coming up

April 19-25: National Infertility Awareness Week

• National Infertility Awareness Week aims to reduce stigma around infertility and educate the public on the many barriers people face when trying to access fertility care to build their families.
• While President Trump has vowed to expand access to IVF, anti-abortion groups are increasingly pushing to restrict access to such fertility treatment – including touting an approach that blames and shames women for their infertility.

Learn more