Idaho Court To Hear Arguments On New Abortion Law In August

AP: Idaho Supreme Court Sets Hearing In Abortion Case For August 
The Idaho Supreme Court will hear arguments in a lawsuit over the state’s newest anti-abortion law in August — but probably after the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling that could overturn the right to legalized abortion nationwide. The Idaho Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it would hear arguments on Aug. 3 in the lawsuit brought by a regional Planned Parenthood organization against Idaho’s new law banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. That’s before most people know they are pregnant. (Boone, 6/2)

The Boston Globe: Mendes Blasts Ruggerio For Not Allowing Late Introduction Of Bill To Protect R.I. Abortion Providers
Senator Cynthia Mendes on Thursday criticized Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio for not letting her introduce after deadline a bill to try to protect Rhode Island-based abortion providers from out-of-state prosecutions. Mendes, an East Providence Democrat running for lieutenant governor, said the legislation is needed following the May 2 release of a draft US Supreme Court opinion indicating that the high court may be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. The Senate set Feb. 10 as the last day to submit bills during this legislative session, but senators are allowed to introduce legislation after that date if they get permission from the Senate president. (Fitzpatrick, 6/2)

USA Today: 'Catastrophic': Women In The Military Could Face Huge Obstacles To Abortion If Roe Is Overturned, Lawmakers Say
After being sexually assaulted at Camp Pendleton in 2007, Erin Kirk went to the base's medical facility for the medication designed to prevent pregnancy in an emergency. The base didn't have any Plan B pills, so she had to go to the nearest Planned Parenthood for help. Kirk, a former Marine, is now worried about how other female service members will cope if Roe v. Wade is overturned and they face an unwanted pregnancy. She has influential backing on Capitol Hill. (Vanden Brook, 6/3)

The Wall Street Journal: BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street Forced Into The Abortion Debate 
Shareholders have placed abortion-rights proposals on the proxies at three big retailers this spring: Walmart, Lowe’s and TJX, the owner of off-price chains including TJ Maxx. Many more could follow next year. That development is pressuring asset managers such as BlackRock Inc., Vanguard Group and State Street Global Advisors to confront the issue because they hold significant stakes in those and other companies on behalf of millions of other investors. (Au-Yeung, 6/3)

In other abortion news —

USA Today: Gallup Poll: Most Identify As Pro-Choice, Want Abortion To Stay Legal
The poll, conducted throughout May, reflects dramatic changes in abortion views following the Supreme Court leak of a draft opinion suggesting the court may overturn Roe v. Wade. The 1973 decision established the constitutional right to abortion. In general, support for abortion rights grew. Gallup found 55% of those surveyed identify as pro-choice – the highest percentage reported since 1995. Less than half – 49% – used that label to describe themselves in the same poll last year. Conversely, those identifying as pro-life fell from 47% to 39%, showing the gap between both groups jumped from 2 to 16 percentage points. (Looker, 6/2)

Politico: In Florida, There’s A Growing Gap Between What People Say About Abortion And What They Do
The clinic is neither conspicuous nor subtle — it’s just another storefront in a strip mall on a busy street in South Florida, next to a Dominican hair-design place and near a Western Union advertising remittances to Cuba. It was doing a pretty good business on a recent sticky weekday; by 9:15 the waiting room was filling up with women .... The administrator, a woman who gave her name only as Rosita, said the clinic performs anywhere between five and 20 abortions per day. Last year, according to figures from Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, this added up to 2,285 abortions. ... By Rosita’s estimation, A Hialeah Woman’s Care Center could be the busiest abortion clinic in Miami-Dade County, which as Florida’s most populous county has by far the highest number of abortions in the state, which in turn has the nation’s third-highest abortion rate among states, according to the CDC’s most recent figures from 2019, behind only New York and Illinois. With close to 19 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 that year, Florida’s rate is nearly twice the national average of around 11. Which is odd, because its government is altogether dominated by Republicans. (Gilsinan and Sarkissian, 6/3)

KHN: Black Women Have Much At Stake In States Where Abortion Access May Vanish 
“Adulting” was not going great for Tia Freeman. She had lost her scholarship at the University of Tennessee and enlisted in the Air Force. As she finished training to be an analyst, she got pregnant despite being on birth control. Both her parents worked, so the child care they could provide was limited. Day care would have eaten most of her paycheck. And even at age 20, Freeman knew that as a Black woman she would have more difficulty climbing the economic ladder than some other women would. So she had an abortion. (Farmer, 6/3)

CNN: How Abortion Storylines In Film And TV Have Evolved In Recent Years
There is no one "right" way to tell an abortion story. But seeing them onscreen can humanize the issue that's become wildly divisive, said Steph Herold, a research analyst at Abortion Onscreen, a project at the University of California San Francisco that tracks and studies abortion storylines in media. "Seeing characters have abortions on television [or in film] may be the first time someone sees abortion as a personal issue, not just a political issue," Herold said. (Andrew, 6/2)