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.

1. Veterans may soon be denied abortions even if they are raped or their health is at risk.

• The Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to revoke abortion access for veterans on VA health care, as well as their dependents.
• The proposal would remove existing exceptions for rape, incest, and health emergencies. The proposed rule would override state abortion protections and apply to veterans and family members in all 50 states, including the 14 states where abortion is protected via state constitution.  
• The proposed policy change is now open for public comments for 30 days, after which the administration will finalize the rule. You can submit a comment here. 

2. 20+ States are suing the Trump administration over Medicaid cuts.

• A coalition of 22 states and D.C. filed suit against the Trump administration’s Medicaid cuts to major family planning providers like Planned Parenthood. 
• The lawsuit argues the cuts are vague, unconstitutional, and retaliatory, threatening access to basic care like cancer screenings and birth control. 
• The Center is also suing the administration over the cuts.

3. Republican-led states are urging Congress to ban shield laws protecting abortion providers.

• Fifteen GOP attorneys general called on Congress to take federal action to preempt abortion shield laws, claiming they undermine state authority and violate constitutional clauses. 
• The move follows failed attempts by Texas and Louisiana to punish out-of-state doctors protected by shield laws. 
• The Supreme Court has yet to hear a case about shield laws, but there are multiple test cases working their way through the courts. 

4. The White House backs away from its promise to make IVF more accessible. 

• Despite pledging to make IVF more affordable, inside sources told the Washington Post that the White House has no plans to require health insurers to cover IVF services.
• White House officials cited political concerns, including worries that doing so would cause health insurance companies to raise premiums—damaging Republicans ahead of midterms. 
• Shortly after President Trump took office, he tasked his administration with submitting recommendations to make IVF more affordable. Those highly-anticipated recommendations were due in May, but never made public. 

5. The largest OB-GYN association in the U.S. is rejecting all federal funding due to Trump Admin policies.

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) announced it will reject federal funding for all programs and contracts.
• ACOG cited new laws that conflict with its ability to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care and uphold DEI principles.
• This is the first major national physician group to sever federal financial ties since Trump began dismantling DEI efforts. 

6. In other state news... 

• In an escalating showdown over conflicting state abortion laws, Texas AG Ken Paxton is suing an Ulster County clerk for refusing to enforce a $100K civil penalty against a New York doctor who mailed abortion pills to a Texan.
• Texas Democrats fled the state to stop a gerrymandering bill, delaying other GOP priorities, including new abortion restriction bills and another total abortion ban. 
• Anti-abortion groups in Montana filed a new lawsuit to overturn the state’s 2024 abortion rights amendment passed by voters. The state Supreme Court rejected a similar lawsuit earlier this year. 

Did you know?

The Trump administration continues to stack federal agencies and the courts with anti-abortion appointees. Josh Craddock, now a top DOJ official, has called for a national abortion ban, advanced the concept of fetal personhood which could be used to charge abortion patients with murder, and urged the Trump administration to misuse the Comstock Act to block access to abortion pills. And last week, the Senate confirmed former solicitor general of Missouri Josh Divine to a federal judgeship. Divine has a long anti-abortion record, including reviving a challenge to the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Congress is also now considering anti-abortion lawyer Chad Meredith—who has defended Kentucky’s abortion restrictions—for a separate lifetime federal judicial seat. 

Coming Up

August 14: Hearing to block the Trump administration’s Medicaid cuts in Maine

• A federal district court will hear the Center’s case challenging the Trump administration’s Medicaid cuts to Maine Family Planning—the largest network of reproductive health care centers in Maine. 
• MFP is asking the court to restore the funds so that they can continue caring for their patients who use Medicaid and need services such as birth control and cancer screenings. Half of MFP’s patients rely on Medicaid, and many of them are in very rural areas with no other health care providers. 

August 27: Hearing to stop an anti-abortion ballot measure in Missouri

• A state court will hear arguments over a ballot measure that would reinstate a total abortion ban in Missouri. 
• The lawsuit challenges the ballot language, arguing that it is inaccurate, misleading, and unfair.  
• The legislature approved the new ballot measure earlier this year, just months after Missouri voters overwhelmingly passed an amendment protecting abortion rights. The anti-abortion measure will be put to voters in November 2026.