Supreme Court Abortion Leak Hunt Shifts To Law Clerks’ Phone Data

CNN: Supreme Court Roe V. Wade Leak Investigation Heats Up As Clerks Are Asked For Phone Records In Unprecedented Move 
Supreme Court officials are escalating their search for the source of the leaked draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, taking steps to require law clerks to provide cell phone records and sign affidavits, three sources with knowledge of the efforts have told CNN. Some clerks are apparently so alarmed over the moves, particularly the sudden requests for private cell data, that they have begun exploring whether to hire outside counsel. (Biskupic, 5/31)

In abortion news from Tennessee, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire —

Knoxville News Sentinel: Two Legal Paths Could Determine When Tennessee Bans Abortions
If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Tennessee's "trigger law," passed in 2019, would go into effect 30 days after the decision comes down. If the law is activated, the Attorney General would notify the Tennessee Code Commission. Then, within 30 days of that notice, the state would have an abortion ban in place. The measure would make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion, while women seeking abortions would be exempt from prosecution. (Kellar, 5/30)

Oklahoman: What Does Oklahoma's Ban On Abortion From Fertilization Mean For IVF?
Oklahoma’s latest abortion ban quickly raised concerns over whether the law might, even inadvertently, hinder in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Local providers and advocates say the law won’t pose any issues for infertility treatments including IVF. But confusion over House Bill 4327, which bans abortion from the point of fertilization, has still rattled patients. “They’re panicking,” said Dr. Eli Reshef, an Oklahoma City reproductive specialist who also serves on the board of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. (Branham, 6/1)

New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H.'s Buffer Zone Law Is Frequently Debated, Rarely Used 
On one recent Friday in Concord, a group of about eight protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside Equality Health Center, holding signs that read “Babies Are Murdered Here” and “Pray to End Abortion.” They were joined by another group of around 10 volunteer clinic escorts, patrolling the sidewalk in rainbow pinnies. “We're trying to block cameras, block signs,” explained Eileen Ehlers, a longtime clinic volunteer and the self-proclaimed “grandmother of the group.” Fridays are when Equality Health Center usually offers surgical abortions. Ehlers said she’ll often wrap an arm around patients arriving at the clinic and walk them inside, to protect them from having to engage with the protesters. If protesters are yelling, sometimes she yells back, to drown them out. (Fam, 6/1)

Also —

FiveThirtyEight: There’s A New Age Gap On Abortion Rights
Americans’ views on abortion have been relatively consistent for years despite massive demographic changes, social upheaval and shifting perspectives on sexuality. But that may be about to change. A new report from the Pew Research Center found that support for abortion rights is considerably higher among young Americans. Roughly three-quarters of 18- to 29-year-olds say abortion should generally be legal, including 30 percent who say it should be legal in all cases. Meanwhile, Americans 65 and older expressed much more tepid support — only 54 percent said abortion should be legal without exception (14 percent) or with some exceptions (40 percent). (Cox, 6/1)

The New Yorker: What The End Of Roe V. Wade Will Mean For The Next Generation Of Obstetricians
All students and young doctors have to sort out questions of how they want to practice medicine; aspiring ob-gyns’ views on abortion might determine what training they seek out, which specialities they pursue, and where they choose to live. In a post-Roe world, that self-sorting process would grow even more intense: in roughly half the country, abortion would be all but illegal, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-rights think tank. Medical residents in those states would likely have to go elsewhere to learn about abortions, just as patients would have to travel to get the procedure. In the other half of the country, demand for abortions would almost certainly shoot up, putting pressure on physicians, hospitals, and clinics to serve patients from out of state. For all doctors and trainees, no matter their views, this geographic divide could pose dilemmas—even for anti-abortion students who would presumably welcome the reversal of Roe. (Green, 5/31)

KHN: Abortion Opponents Take Political Risks By Dropping Exceptions For Rape, Incest, And The Mother’s Life
If it seems as though the anti-abortion movement has gotten more extreme in recent months, that’s because it has. But it’s not the first time — positions taken by both sides of the abortion debate have ebbed and flowed repeatedly in the 49 years since the Supreme Court declared abortion a constitutional right. (Rovner, 6/1)

Yahoo News: Doctors Who Worked Before Roe V. Wade Speak Out: ‘Many Women Died’
Dr. Warren Hern, founder of the Boulder Abortion Clinic. Hern, who graduated from medical school in 1965, tells Yahoo Life that he saw the "tremendous problems" women had before they could legally access abortion care. "Many women died," he says. Hern shares that he and his fellow residents spent many nights taking care of women who were "desperately sick" from having illegal abortions. (Miller, 5/31)

Bloomberg: Abortion Pill Startup Choix Raises $1 Million In Venture Capital
Choix Inc., a startup that provides women with pills that induce an abortion, has raised $1 million in seed funding from venture capitalists, weeks after a report that indicated the Supreme Court was on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade. “Because of what is going on in this country, we wanted to be able to grow quickly,” said Cindy Adam, co-founder and chief executive officer of Choix. “We’re on a lot more people’s radar now, just because of what’s going on.” The funding came from Oregon-based Elevate Capital. Adam declined to give the startup’s valuation. (Anand, 6/1)