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

Center sues GA

1. The Center for Reproductive Rights sued the state of Georgia, on behalf of three midwives prohibited from practicing.

• Despite Georgia’s alarming lack of maternity care providers, the state does not allow midwives to practice without a nursing license. Even then, midwives must pay for a physician oversight contract, which is too expensive for most.
• The lawsuit challenges these restrictions, arguing they have worsened the state’s maternal health crisis. Women cared for by midwives are less likely to have C-sections, episiotomies, epidurals, and drug-induced labor—costly procedures with potentially serious complications.
• Similar cases have recently been filed in Nebraska and Alabama, and a law was recently passed in North Carolina making it easier for midwives to practice.

GA woman released on bond

2. A Georgia woman jailed for taking abortion pills was released on bond.

• Police charged 31-year-old army veteran Alexia Moore with malice murder after she allegedly took abortion pills beyond six weeks of pregnancy.
• At a bond hearing, both the judge and the District Attorney seemed unconvinced that the charge could be supported, as Georgia’s abortion ban criminalizes doctors who perform abortions, not the pregnant person.
• The DA said the murder charges were brought without his support, but he was not ready to drop them either. The judge set Moore’s bond for the murder charge at $1. She attended the hearing virtually and could be seen crying on the screen.

TX judge throws out lawsuit

3. A Trump-appointed judge threw out a woman’s lawsuit against Texas officials who wrongly charged her with murder after a self-induced abortion.

• Under Texas’ abortion ban, the pregnant woman cannot be charged, only the doctor. Despite this, the woman was prosecuted and indicted by a grand jury on murder charges before the prosecutor dropped the case.
• After her release, she sued state officials for false arrest and malicious prosecution, but the judge said state officials are immune.

MA court allows suit against fake clinic

4. A Massachusetts court allowed a lawsuit against a fake abortion clinic to proceed.

• The court ruled that the case, alleging false advertising and deceptive practices by an anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center,” can move forward.
• These centers often pose as medical clinics while providing misleading and stigmatizing information to discourage patients from seeking abortion care.
• The decision comes as multiple states move to shield crisis pregnancy centers from liability, raising concerns about accountability and patient harm.

States attack abortion pills

5. Multiple states are pushing laws attacking abortion pills.

• South Dakota lawmakers enacted several new abortion restrictions, including a law making it a felony to dispense, distribute, sell, or advertise abortion pills.
• Ohio legislators introduced a bill requiring doctors to tell patients the false and dangerous claim that abortion pills can be “reversed.” The Ohio House also approved a 24-hour mandatory waiting period for abortion care, which now goes to the Senate.
• The Tennessee House passed a bill making it a felony to mail abortion pills into the state. It also allows family members of the person who took the pills to sue whoever mailed the pills for $1 million. It now goes to the Senate.
• Mississippi lawmakers added abortion pill restrictions to a drug trafficking bill that passed both the Mississippi House and Senate, imposing a 10-year prison sentence on anyone who distributes, or intends to distribute, the pills. Experts say doctors may now be scared to prescribe these drugs to stop postpartum hemorrhaging and treat miscarriages.

Did you know?

Did you know?

The New York Times recently obtained new information showing how the Trump administration intentionally allowed at least $10 million worth of taxpayer-funded contraceptives to go to waste in a warehouse in Belgium. These supplies were intended for distribution in low-income African countries. The Center has since sued the administration for failing to release records explaining the decision. Until recently, the U.S. funded about 40 percent of contraceptives for people in low-income countries. Studies estimate these cuts will leave about 100 million people without contraception over the next five years.

A recent investigation found that, in the first six months of the Trump administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly dropped 23,000 criminal investigations–including cases against anti-abortion protestors for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. This DOJ has dismissed more FACE-related cases than the previous three administrations combined.

Coming up

Coming up

April 9: Hearing on Nevada law requiring young people to notify parents before getting an abortion

• An appellate court will hear arguments over whether to again block a 1985 law that prevents minors from having an abortion without notifying their parents.
• The law went into effect for the first time last year, after a federal court lifted a 40-year-old ruling blocking the law.
• Abortion rights advocates argue that the law is unconstitutional, as it lacks exceptions for minors in abusive homes or foster care, and could severely delay or deny access to care.

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