A new study found that the U.S. abortion rate fell dramatically between 2008 and 2014, thanks in large part to more people using effective birth control. But researchers are worried that lawmakers won’t learn the right lessons from the study’s findings — and that recent progress in the area is already being reversed under the Trump administration.
One of the other central findings of the study, authored by Guttmacher Institute researchers Rachel Jones and Jenna Jer...
reproductive-rights
U.S. abortion rate falls, but the procedure is still common among certain groups
The U.S. abortion rate fell 25 percent between 2008 and 2014, though the procedure is still a common experience, according to a new study published Thursday in the Journal of Public Health. The falling rates were also not even across all groups, and the procedure has become increasingly concentrated among lower-income people.
The study found that, in 2008, there were 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women and gender minorities between the ages of 15 and 44. By 2014, that number had...
Trump’s Health Department is adopting a lot of anti-choice rhetoric
The Trump administration has repeatedly delivered on a campaign promise to the religious right that he’d prioritize a faith-based, anti-choice agenda. The latest evidence comes in the form of the draft strategic plan released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which defines life as “beginning at conception.”
The draft was released two weeks ago, before HHS Secretary Tom Price resigned, and it outlines the priorities of the agency and its governin...
Federal judge blocks law requiring anyone offering abortion advice to register with the state
A federal judge in Florida blocked a law on Friday that would have required anyone offering advice about abortions to register with the state and provide those seeking advice with a detailed explanation of the abortion procedure and alternatives.
The law, which was signed by Gov. Rick Scott last year, would have required abortion “advisers” to pay a $200 fee and offer a “full and complete” definition of abortion and its benefits and drawbacks. What that definition needed to include ...
Federal judge blocks law requiring anyone offering abortion advice to register with the state
A federal judge in Florida blocked a law on Friday that would have required anyone offering advice about abortions to register with the state and provide those seeking advice with a detailed explanation of the abortion procedure and alternatives.
The law, which was signed by Gov. Rick Scott last year, would have required abortion “advisers” to pay a $200 fee and offer a “full and complete” definition of abortion and its benefits and drawbacks. What that definition needed to include ...
Illinois governor reverses course, will expand abortion access for low-income residents
It’s been a surprisingly successful week for reproductive rights activists, after Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) said Thursday he would sign into law a bill that would expand taxpayer-subsidized abortions for those covered by Medicaid and state employee insurance.
In April, Rauner said he would veto the bill, but reversed course after meeting with activist groups both for and against the legislation.
“I believe that a woman living with limited financial means should not be pu...
The U.S. is still behind the rest of the world on access to birth control pills
There are 102 countries in the world where you can buy birth control pills without seeing your doctor, but the United States isn’t one of them.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has endorsed the idea of true access to over-the-counter birth control since 2012 and 76 percent of doctors and 70 percent of other health care providers have said that people should have over-the-counter access.
One common concern is whether people who can get pregnant ...
Graham and Cassidy were asked why they’re defunding Planned Parenthood. Their answers were ridiculous
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) invoked highly edited, debunked videos targeting Planned Parenthood from 2015 at a CNN town hall Monday night when a woman shared her story of how Planned Parenthood helped her have children.
Graham, along with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), has been spearheading a repeal and replace bill in the Senate that would, among other things, defund Planned Parenthood.
The woman at Monday’s town hall told a story about when Planned Parenthood discovered cysts and...
Indiana judge blocks anti-choice law in Indiana, marking a win for Planned Parenthood
A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction against an Indiana law that would have prohibited abortions sought specifically because the fetus had been potentially diagnosed with Down syndrome or other disabilities. The law also would have required that aborted fetuses be buried or cremated and that abortion providers notify patients that seeking an abortion because the fetus may be disabled was against the law in the state.
The restrictions were signed into law in March 2016 b...