Republican States Claim Zero Abortions. A Red-State Doctor Calls That 鈥楲udicrous.鈥
In several red states, officials say few or no abortions happened in 2023, raising alarm among researchers about the politicization of vital statistics.
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Sarah Varney was a senior correspondent for 杨贵妃传媒視頻 Health News until August 2023.
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In several red states, officials say few or no abortions happened in 2023, raising alarm among researchers about the politicization of vital statistics.
Women with serious pregnancy complications who were denied abortion care have turned to state courts after appeals to state lawmakers to clarify medical exceptions have largely failed.
After the fall of 鈥淩oe v. Wade,鈥 thousands of out-of-state patients traveled to Maryland for abortion care. The state is trying to diversify who can offer that care. Providers in the first training class say their new skills are especially needed in rural areas.
Despite widespread support for protecting abortion rights, voters said the cost of gas, housing, food, and health care was more important to their choice for president.
The Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment would enshrine in the state constitution a right 鈥渢o make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one's own pregnancy.鈥
Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days after delivery. Arkansas has not expanded what鈥檚 called postpartum Medicaid coverage, an option that gives poor women uninterrupted health insurance for a year after they give birth.
Insurance coverage for abortion care in the U.S. is a hodgepodge. Patients often don鈥檛 know when or if a procedure or abortion pills are covered, and the proliferation of abortion bans has exacerbated the confusion.
The percentage of people who say they鈥檝e tried to end a pregnancy without medical assistance increased after "Roe v. Wade" was overturned. One of the most common reasons for seeking a self-managed abortion was privacy concerns.
The end goal for a conservative Christian group鈥檚 mifepristone case before the Supreme Court: a de facto nationwide abortion ban.
Stark, plaintive testimony from women denied abortion care represents the start of 鈥渢he 50-year fight to get rid of Dobbs,鈥 one historian says.
From the front lines of Wisconsin鈥檚 abortion battle, obstetricians describe patients who cannot comprehend having to carry nonviable pregnancies. And only one pharmacist in town can be found who will fill prescriptions for abortion pills.
It is illegal to help a minor obtain an abortion in Idaho or leave the state for one without parental consent. The lawsuit says the ban infringes on the right to interstate travel and First Amendment freedoms.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case brought by conservative Christian abortion opponents seeking to revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, a medication used in more than half of abortions in the U.S.
Under the nation鈥檚 first law of its kind, teens must have parental consent to travel for medical care, including in cases of sexual assault or rape. Any adult, including an aunt, grandparent, or sibling, convicted of violating the criminal statute faces up to five years in prison 鈥 and could be sued for financial damages.
At least two Idaho hospitals are ending labor and delivery services, with one citing the state鈥檚 鈥渓egal and political climate鈥 and noting that 鈥渞ecruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult鈥 as doctors leave.
Sarah Varney, a senior correspondent for KHN, joins Ali Rogin of PBS NewsHour to discuss the ruling by a federal judge in Texas that threatens nationwide access to the widely used abortion drug mifepristone, and a separate ruling in Washington state that reached the opposite conclusion.
A U.S. District Court case is being widely followed because the judge鈥檚 decision could overturn the FDA鈥檚 approval of mifepristone two decades ago. With abortion rights polling well even in red states, anti-abortion activists are increasingly turning to the courts to achieve their aims.
American women are more likely to deliver their babies prematurely than women in most developed countries. It鈥檚 a distinction that coincides with high rates of maternal and infant death, billions of dollars in costs, and even lifelong disabilities for the children who survive.
A Donald Trump-appointed federal judge agreed that even the possibility that the father鈥檚 daughters might access contraception without his permission violated the tenants of his Christian faith.
Under pressure from Republican attorneys general, the nation's second-largest pharmacy chain says it will not dispense the abortion pill mifepristone.
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