Lawsuit Mounted Against Florida’s New Abortion Ban

Miami Herald: Florida’s 15-Week Abortion Ban Now Faces Legal Challenge 
Several Florida Planned Parenthood chapters and individual abortion providers filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban. The groups filed suit against the state of Florida, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Health and every judicial circuit’s state attorney. The suit says the legislation violates Florida’s constitutional privacy clause, which has been interpreted for the past several decades as protecting access to abortion. Abortion providers are seeking an injunction to keep the bill from going into effect on July 1. (Ellenbogen, 6/1)

The Washington Post: Florida Abortion Providers Seek To Block State’s New 15-Week Ban 
Abortion providers in Florida filed a lawsuit Wednesday to try to block the state’s new law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is slated to take effect July 1. The constitutional challenge in Florida comes as Republican-led states have moved to restrict abortion access and weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court is slated to issue a major abortion ruling that is expected to undermine if not overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. (Marimow, 6/1)

In other abortion news —

St. Louis Public Radio: Pritzker Says Illinois Needs More People To Perform Abortions 
Illinois will need more doctors and nurses to provide abortions as an expected surge of patients from other states arrive for the procedure, Gov. J.B. Pritkzer said during a campaign stop in East St. Louis. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected in coming weeks to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Illinois is one of the few states in the Midwest where officials have said they will preserve access to abortion. Thousands of patients are likely to come to clinics in the Metro East if the high court throws out Roe v. Wade and leaves states to determine whether abortion will be legal, Pritzker said. (Fentem, 6/1)

AP: With Roe In Doubt, States Weigh Letting Nurses Do Abortions
The various proposals authorize advance practice clinicians to provide medication abortions, in-clinic abortions or both. Abortion rights advocates say these clinicians often perform more complicated procedures such as IUD insertions, early miscarriage management and endometrial biopsies, a procedure where a small piece of the lining of the uterus is removed to check for cancer or other issues. Supporters say randomized trials have shown that aspiration abortions — a common early term abortion that involves a suctioning procedure — can be safely performed by these clinicians. (Haigh, 6/2)

NPR: California Prepares To Welcome Patients From States That May Soon Ban Abortion
While 26 states in the U.S. are likely to ban or restrict abortion care if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, California is positioning itself to be a sanctuary for abortion access, preparing to welcome and support people from around the country who are seeking that care. The state's Democratic-led legislature is considering a package of 13 bills designed to ease access to abortion and reduce the costs. It includes proposals to protect people from law enforcement action if they have an abortion or help provide one. Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged $125 million in state funds to back these efforts. (Dembosky, 6/2)

AP: Limits On Early Abortion Drive More Women To Get Them Later
An 18-year-old was undergoing treatment for an eating disorder when she learned she was pregnant, already in the second trimester. A mom of two found out at 20 weeks that her much-wanted baby had no kidneys or bladder. A young woman was raped and couldn’t fathom continuing a pregnancy. Abortions later in pregnancy are relatively rare, even more so now with the availability of medications to terminate early pregnancies. Across large parts of the United States, they are also increasingly difficult to obtain. (Ortutay, 6/2)

Axios: Blue Cities In Red States Say They Won't Help Enforce Abortion Bans
Some local officials in liberal enclaves within red states say they won't help enforce bans on abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Cities have a "wide range of powers they can draw on to try to safeguard and expand access to reproductive health care, including abortion," said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, an organization that supports abortion rights. José "Chito" Vela, a member of the city council in Austin, has proposed a resolution to decriminalize abortion locally, even as Texas has one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the country. (Gonzalez, 6/2)

KHN: Skirmishes Over Medication Abortions May Renew Debate On State Vs. Federal Powers 
As the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guarantees the constitutional right to an abortion, reproductive rights advocates are considering new ways to protect nationwide access to the procedure. One strategy involves preserving the availability of the medication used to initiate an abortion in states poised to restrict access otherwise. Such a move would require that federal law take precedence over a state’s — a concept known as preemption. (Knight, 6/2)

KHN: Readers And Tweeters Go To The Mat On Abortion Rights And Perceived Wrongs 
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (Byrne, 6/2)