U.S. Repro Watch, March 14

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

1. A Montana court struck down abortion restrictions targeting Medicaid patients as unconstitutional.

• A Montana district court on March 11 permanently blocked several restrictions that would have effectively eliminated abortion access for most Medicaid patients, especially those who live in rural and tribal communities.
• The court agreed with arguments by the Center for Reproductive Rights and its partners that the restrictions violate the state constitution’s right to abortion.

2. Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban was permanently struck down as a violation of the state’s constitution.

• An Arizona judge permanently struck down the state’s 15-week abortion ban on March 5, ruling that it violates the state’s new constitutional amendment protecting the right to an abortion.
• The constitutional amendment was overwhelmingly approved by voters in November, and this ruling in a case by the Center and its partners was the final step in getting the ban off the books.

3. Pharmaceutical company enters legal battle to protect abortion medication.

• GenBioPro—the sole manufacturer of the generic version of mifepristone, an abortion medication—has asked to lead the defense in a case that seeks to revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) approval of the pill. Mifepristone has been FDA-approved for 25 years and is used in over 60% of abortions in the U.S., as well as in miscarriage care.
• Attorneys general of Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho had brought the lawsuit in an attempt to take the medication off the market or make it much more difficult to access by prohibiting patients from getting mifepristone via telehealth, the mail, or even at pharmacies with a prescription.
• GenBioPro joins the case amid concern that the Trump Administration’s FDA will take action to restrict access to the drug.

4. West Virginia and Idaho lawmakers are trying to remove exceptions for rape and incest from abortion bans.

• This push in West Virginia and Idaho reflects a troubling national pattern of states making bans even more extreme. Of the 21 states with abortion bans, 10 currently have no exception for rape.

5. Despite promises to “protect women,” the Trump administration acts to deny emergency room abortion care.

• The Department of Justice revealed on March 4 that it will drop a case protecting emergency abortion care in hospitals.
• The case, originally filed under the Biden administration, challenged Idaho’s strict abortion ban and sought to ensure hospitals adhered to EMTALA, a federal law requiring hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment—including abortion care—to all patients with emergency medical conditions.
• In response, the Center’s President and CEO Nancy Northup stated, “President Trump talks about ‘protecting women’ in sports and in locker rooms, meanwhile he’d let them go septic in the ER.”

6. The latest from the Center’s Repro Red Flags: Agency Watch tool.

• Dr. Mehmet Oz, the nominee for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, commonly spreads misinformation on health and wellness. In this role, Oz will oversee federal programs providing health coverage to more than 160 million people, as well as the enforcement of federal programs like EMTALA. His initial committee hearing is March 14.
• Check out Repro Red Flags: Agency Watch for updates on President Trump’s anti-repro appointees and executive actions endangering reproductive health and rights.

Young people looking to start families—a critical part of the workplace—are leaving states with abortion bans.

New research finds that access to reproductive health care is playing a role in employee recruitment and retention—as may be causing a “brain drain” in states with abortion bans. These findings come from new research released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and supported by the Center. Center President and CEO Nancy Northup discussed the findings on a panel at the 2025 South by Southwest Conference. (Replay here.)

Dozens of minors—including children under 11—left Texas for abortions in 2023.

The number—105 minors 17 or under—is nearly nine times higher than that of Texas children getting out-of-state abortions in 2018. “It was mostly 16 or 17 year olds. . . But there were some in the youngest age category, which is 11 and under. There were six” kids in that category,” said Taylor Goldenstein, reporter for the Houston Chronicle. Texas has no exceptions for rape or incest, meaning children who’ve been assaulted and impregnated are forced to either leave the state for abortion care or give birth. It’s unknown how many have been forced to give birth.

March 25: Hearing on North Dakota’s abortion ban struck down by lower court.

• Abortion became legal again in North Dakota in September 2024, when a state court agreed with the Center’s argument that the state’s near-total ban was unconstitutional. The state has since appealed that ruling.
• A hearing will take place at 10 a.m. on March 25 at the North Dakota Supreme Court. Hearings are expected to be livestreamed on the court’s homepage.