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.

1. The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a new lawsuit challenging the Trump administration over Medicaid defunding.

• The suit, filed July 17, challenges a provision in the so-called “big beautiful bill” that prevents both Maine Family Planning (MFP) and Planned Parenthood from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursements.
• The sweeping spending bill targets health care organizations that provide abortions, barring them from accepting Medicaid even for non-abortion services like STI testing, cancer screenings, primary care, routine OB/GYN visits, and contraception.
• MFP operates 18 clinics across the state of Maine, many in rural areas where care is hard to access. It is the sole health care provider for roughly 70% of its patients—half of whom rely on Medicaid.

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2. The “big beautiful bill” threatens hundreds of reproductive health care clinics across the country.

• The new legislation could force the closure of 200 Planned Parenthood clinics—90% of which are located in states where abortion is legal. Half of Maine Family Planning’s clinics may also shut down.

3. A recent Supreme Court ruling gives state governments unprecedented control over what doctor you can go to.

• In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states can prohibit Medicaid patients from going to Planned Parenthood or any other health care provider, for any reason.
• Though the federal Medicaid Act grants patients the right to get care from any qualified provider, the ruling prevents them from suing when states violate that right.

4. A federal judge struck down privacy protections for abortion patients.

• A Trump-appointed judge in Texas struck down a policy designed to strengthen HIPAA protections for abortion patients. The policy prevented state law enforcement from obtaining confidential medical records about legal abortions, especially in states with criminal penalties.
• Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its authority, arguing that the policy was written to protect “politically preferred procedures.”

5. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot has called a special session to try to revive several bills that failed to pass this year, including one that would make it harder to get abortion pills.

• Under the bill, private citizens could sue anyone who helped another person get abortion pills—including the drug manufacturer—for up to $100,000. 
• The bill, which failed to pass during the regular session, also expands the wrongful death statute and empowers the attorney general to bring lawsuits on behalf of “unborn children.” It’s considered the most aggressive attempt to crack down on abortion pills to date.

6. A Missouri judge has re-blocked the state’s abortion ban after the state Supreme Court let it take effect in May.

• The ruling from Judge Jerri Zhang marks the latest twist in a multiyear battle that has seen the ban go into and out of effect, despite Missourians passing a constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state.
• The state Supreme Court ruled in May that Judge Zhang had applied the wrong standard when she blocked the ban this past winter. They sent the case back to her for reconsideration. 
• Upon reconsideration, Zhang again blocked the ban and other anti-abortion laws, including a mandatory 72-hour waiting period.

7. In a fiery ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down a 176-year-old abortion ban.

• Chief Justice Karofsky’s impassioned opinion mentioned her own great-grandmother’s death in 1929 after she was unable to get a legal abortion.
• Karofsky wrote, “Like so many others, she died because society did not recognize her as someone with the ‘dignity and authority to make these choices.’” She named numerous women who have died since Roe was overturned, writing, “These women should all still be alive. Their deaths were not only preventable, they were foretold by the stories of other women from a century ago.”
• The original ban was introduced in 1849, but was nullified by Roe v. Wade. After Roe fell, Republican legislators argued that this archaic ban was enforceable again—despite its implied repeal through decades of state laws regulating legal abortion.

Did you know?

The number of abortions in the U.S. rose again last year, hitting a total of 1.1 million. The number of abortions via telemedicine has also continued to grow since 2022. By the end of 2024, 1 in 4 abortions was provided via telehealth, compared to 1 in 20 at the time Roe was overturned. One in seven patients traveled to another state for care last year.

Abortion bans are causing more abortions to happen later in pregnancy, according to a new study. The research found that in states where abortion is banned, patients are more than twice as likely to receive care later in pregnancy—with the number of second trimester abortions increasing from 8% to 17% since Roe fell. This is primarily due to the greater burdens associated with traveling out of state, which has increased travel time from 2.8 to 11.3 hours, travel costs from $179 to $372, and overnight stays from 5% to 58%. 

Coming Up

July 25: World IVF Day

• World IVF Day, celebrated annually on July 25th, recognizes the advancements in fertility medicine since the birth of Louise Brown in 1978—the first baby to be conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF). 
• IVF is a widely used and critical method to help people build their families. However, anti-abortion advocates are increasingly pushing to restrict IVF. Last year, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to oppose the use of IVF. 
• Earlier this year, President Trump issued an executive order requesting a report of policy recommendations to “ensure reliable access to IVF.” That report was due on May 19, but was never released.