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

SCOTUS blocks mifepristone restriction

1. The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court order that would have limited access to abortion pills nationwide.

• Louisiana is suing the FDA to try to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, asking for the nationwide reinstatement of a medically unnecessary in-person dispensing requirement. On Friday May 1, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Louisiana’s request to temporarily reinstate the requirement while the case proceeds.
• On Monday May 4, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a one-week pause on the order, putting it on hold until Monday May 11. This ruling means that mifepristone access has been temporarily restored to the status quo before the Fifth Circuit’s ruling on Friday.
• While this is welcome news, it’s a short-term administrative decision and cannot be interpreted one way or another as a reflection of what the Supreme Court will do next. 259 Members of Congress have now filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to restore full access to mifepristone.

TN silences women denied abortions

2. The State of Tennessee stopped Center for Reproductive Rights clients from testifying in an abortion trial.

• A Tennessee court has canceled a trial that was years in the making and scheduled to start Monday April 27 in Phillips v. State of Tennessee. Six Tennessee women were set to testify about their harrowing experiences being denied abortions despite facing dangerous pregnancy complications.
• The state pulled a last-minute legal maneuver to indefinitely delay the trial and silence these women just days before it was set to begin. It could now be years before these women get their day in court.

OK makes abortion pill possession a felony

3. Oklahoma lawmakers passed a bill that makes the possession of abortion pills a felony punishable by 10 years in prison.

• The bill has been sent to the governor’s desk, who is poised to sign it. It was fast-tracked in a maneuver that prevented any attempts to block it.
• While the person intending to take the pills cannot be charged, anyone who helps them get the pills can–including a parent, friend, sister, or doctor. The penalty is $100,000 and up to 10 years in prison.
• Nimra Chowdhry, Senior State Legislative Counsel at the Center, said, “The reality is that you can’t stop people from seeking abortions—they always have and always will—and Oklahoma politicians can’t get over it. They are so fixated on forcing people to have children that they are willing to tear families apart and throw parents in jail.”

PA rules state constitution protects abortion

4. A Pennsylvania court ruled that the state constitution protects the right to abortion.

• An appellate court in Pennsylvania ruled that the state constitution guarantees a right to abortion, striking down a decades‑old law that barred the use of state Medicaid funds for abortion care.
• The case was brought by abortion providers in 2019, who argued that banning Medicaid funds violated equal protection rights of low-income women.
• The ruling could still be appealed to the state’s supreme court. If the ruling is upheld, Pennsylvania will be part of the small group of states that protect abortion rights under their state constitutions.

CA doctor challenges TX abortion pill ban

5. A California doctor is asking a judge to rule that Texas’ new citizen-enforced abortion pill ban is unconstitutional.

• A California doctor being sued for allegedly mailing abortion pills into Texas is asking a federal judge to declare Texas’ new “bounty hunter” law unconstitutional. The law states that private citizens can sue anyone who provides abortion pills to people in Texas.
• The doctor argues the law violates the U.S. constitution by discriminating against out-of-state doctors while protecting Texas doctors. He also argues it unlawfully deputizes private individuals to enforce state law, violating the Texas constitution.
• The same doctor is also being prosecuted by Louisiana and sued by Texas. California Governor Newsom rejected Louisiana’s request to extradite the doctor, citing the state’s shield laws.

WY judge blocks abortion ban

6. A Wyoming judge blocked a recently passed abortion ban.

• The judge temporarily blocked the ban while the lawsuit continues, saying it would likely be struck down, as other attempts to ban abortion in the state have been.
• This ban was passed by state lawmakers just months after the Wyoming Supreme Court struck down the state’s previous abortion bans as unconstitutional. The court found that abortion bans violate a 2012 voter-approved state constitutional amendment stating competent adults have the right to make their own healthcare decisions.

ID ballot measure could restore abortion rights

7. In Idaho, organizers have collected enough signatures for a ballot measure restoring abortion rights.

• The ballot measure gathered more than 106,000 signatures statewide in support of ending Idaho’s abortion ban.
• While the signatures still need to be verified, an Idaho official said he believes it will likely meet all requirements necessary to go to voters in November’s election.

Did you know?

Did you know?

In the U.S., more than 1 in 4 abortions are currently provided via telehealth. The use of telehealth for abortion pills has drastically increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned, becoming a lifeline for women who live in states where abortion is banned.

The Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act by striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana, making it harder for minority communities to elect representatives of their choice. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan warned the decision “greenlights redistricting plans that will disable minority communities” nationwide—undercutting earlier claims in Dobbs that abortion regulation could be safely left to voters and their elected officials. The ruling is already prompting states including Louisiana, Florida, and Tennessee to race to redraw congressional maps, threatening both representative democracy and reproductive rights.

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