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

The Center sued OK

1. The Center for Reproductive Rights sued Oklahoma on behalf of two women denied abortions for fatal fetal conditions.

• Despite learning their babies were not going to survive, Magon Hoffman and Sheena Hamlin were forced to spend thousands of dollars and travel hundreds of miles out of state for abortion care.
• If the women were not able to leave, they would have been forced to remain pregnant and give birth to a stillborn or a baby that would die soon after.
• The lawsuit, filed by the Center, asks a state court to recognize that Oklahomans have a constitutional right to access in-state abortion care, in these devastating situations.

Amazon was sued

2. Workers sued Amazon over pregnancy discrimination.

• Four former warehouse employees filed a class action lawsuit accusing Amazon of denying them basic accommodations while pregnant, such as: chairs, additional breaks, and time off. Plaintiffs said the company fired or threatened to fire them for taking these accommodations.
• One mother said she received a “termination warning email” for taking too much unpaid time off after she had to leave work and go to the hospital for a pregnancy-related medical emergency. After she was unable to go to work the next day, Amazon fired her.
• The lawsuit calls for Amazon to reform its policies, while compensating for past and ongoing violations of New York state and federal law.

KY attorney general sued repro org

3. The Kentucky attorney general filed a lawsuit over abortion pill advertisements.

• Kentucky Attorney General, Russell Coleman, sued reproductive health organization, Mayday Health, for informational abortion pill ads.
• AG Coleman claims the ads violate the state’s consumer protection law.
• This case is part of a broader effort by anti-abortion politicians to censor public information about how to access abortion pills.

ID Supreme Court allowed confusing repro ballot language

4. Idaho’s Supreme Court approved intentionally confusing ballot measure language intended to muddle support for reproductive rights.

• In November, Idahoans will vote on Proposition 1, which seeks to establish the right to abortion, contraception, IVF, and privacy in making reproductive healthcare decisions.
• Supporters of the initiative, along with one Idaho Supreme Court justice, said the re-drafted statements are still misleading. They fail to reflect the reality of Idaho’s abortion ban, including the severe penalties that doctors face for providing care.

Family of deceased woman sued TX

5. The family of a woman who died because of Texas’ abortion ban filed a lawsuit against the state.

• In 2024, Tierra Walker died from preeclampsia after being repeatedly denied an abortion.
• None of the 90+ doctors involved in her care offered an abortion to save her life, despite persistent seizures, a blood clot, and soaring blood pressure.
• In the lawsuit, Walker’s family accused Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, and health officials of “deliberate indifference, discrimination, and medical mistreatment” which caused Walker’s death; and of violating her right to life by imposing a “merciless” abortion ban.
• Walkers’ family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, while also asking the court to rule that Texas’ abortion bans are unconstitutional.

WA court upheld insurance coverage for abortion

6. A federal appeals court upheld a Washington state law requiring insurance coverage for abortion.

• The state law requires insurers offering maternity coverage in employee health plans to also cover abortions.
• The court rejected claims from a religious group that the law targeted religious conduct and violated their First Amendment right. The group was represented by the anti-abortion organization Alliance Defending Freedom.
• The court also threw out the church’s challenge to a 1995 state law that excuses employers from purchasing coverage for services they oppose on religious or moral grounds, but requires insurers to tell enrollees how to obtain those services.

Did you know?

Did you know?

A new analysis from ProPublica found the number of women dying after ectopic pregnancies nearly doubled from 2020 to 2025. The spike is much steeper in states that ban abortion. Ectopic pregnancies are the leading cause of death in the first trimester and require timely treatment. Because of abortion bans, doctors have delayed care and even turned away patients facing these life-threatening pregnancies, out of fear of prosecution. In Texas, 310 more patients experienced substantial blood loss following ectopic pregnancies in 2023 and 2024 than in 2018 and 2019—a 29% increase.

The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $177 billion in federal grants, according to the new Lost Funds tracking tool. A majority of these funds–nearly $60 billion– were intended for health programs. This includes maternal health programs in state like Texas and California, but instead the funding was cut off entirely. In Michigan, researchers studying birth outcomes for Black women fear these frozen grants could halt efforts to close the maternal mortality gap. The funding cuts come as the U.S. continues to have the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy country.

Coming up

Current events and coming up

September 20-26: 6th Annual Telehealth Awareness Week

• This national campaign seeks to highlight how telehealth has helped expand access to healthcare and improve health outcomes.
• Telehealth is the standard of care for many health conditions, and research shows that access to abortion pills via telemedicine is just as safe as getting them in a doctor’s office.
• 30% of U.S. abortions are provided via telehealth.

September 25: Meeting on Texas’ delayed maternal mortality report

• Texas’ maternal mortality review committee (MMRC) announced it would not release its biannual maternal mortality report until December–a month after the midterm elections. Advocates are demanding prompt transparency and accountability from the state.
• The report, typically released every other year in September, provides vital recommendations to address preventable maternal deaths. It is expected to contain the first full year of data on maternal mortality since Texas banned abortion.
• The meeting, where this delay will be discussed, will be at 9AM CT/10AM ET on September 25th at the Texas Department of State Health Services Robert Moreton Building, Room M-100. It will be livestreamed here.

Learn more