Seattle Votes To Become Sanctuary City For Abortion Doctors, Patients
As some states see an influx of patients, most others have become legal and political battlegrounds over existing and new legislation. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court files its official judgment in the Dobbs case, starting a countdown on some states' trigger laws.
AP:
Seattle To Be Sanctuary For Abortion Providers, Patients
The Seattle City Council voted Tuesday to make the city a sanctuary for abortion providers and patients, meaning Seattle police will not cooperate in arrests or investigations related to abortion bans in other states. The bill, which Councilmember Kshama Sawant introduced at a news conference the day the U.S. Supreme Court repealed decades-old constitutional protections over abortion, deems Seattle a “sanctuary city” for those who seek or provide abortion, The Seattle Times reported. (7/27)
AP:
Massachusetts Lawmakers OK Sweeping Abortion Access Bill
Massachusetts lawmakers approved a sweeping abortion bill Tuesday aimed in part at building a firewall to protect access to the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month. The bill would protect abortion providers and people seeking abortions from actions taken by other states, including blocking the governor from extraditing anyone charged in another state unless the acts for which extradition was sought would be punishable by Massachusetts law. (LeBlanc, 7/26)
Stateline:
North Carolina And Florida Become Southern Abortion Havens
Southerners are flocking to both Florida and North Carolina for clinical and medication abortions — in North Carolina as late as viability, typically between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, and in Florida, until 15 weeks of pregnancy. Neither state set out to become an abortion oasis, and neither state will necessarily remain one after the midterm elections. But abortion providers and their patients are evolving with quickly changing circumstances. (Vestal, 7/26)
The Tennessean:
Tennessee Trigger Abortion Ban To Go Into Effect Aug. 25
The 30-day countdown to Tennessee enacting one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation began Tuesday following a final judgment filed in the U.S. Supreme Court. The "trigger" law will prohibit all abortions in the state while outlining an unusual defense in limited cases for abortion providers who are criminally charged under the law. (Brown and Timms, 7/26)
AP:
Louisiana Judge Denies Request That Would Allow Abortion Ban
Five days after a state judge blocked enforcement of Louisiana’s abortion ban, the same judge on Tuesday denied a motion by state officials to suspend the ruling while they pursue an appeal. (7/26)
AP:
North Dakota Abortion Clinic Prepares For Likely Final Day
North Dakota’s only abortion clinic is preparing for what could be its final day of performing procedures, with a trigger ban due to take effect Thursday that will likely force patients to travel hundreds of miles to receive care pending the clinic’s relocation across the border to Minnesota. (Kolpack, 7/27)
AP:
Idaho Sued Over Law Banning Abortion After 6 Weeks Pregnancy
A regional Planned Parenthood organization has filed a third lawsuit over Idaho’s anti-abortion laws and the latest targets the state’s ban on abortions for pregnancies beyond six weeks of gestation. Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky was joined by family medicine Dr. Caitlin Gustafson in the lawsuit filed Monday. (Boone, 7/26)
AP:
Abortion Question Boosts Early Kansas Voting For Primary
Early voting is surging in Kansas ahead of next week’s statewide abortion vote and the electorate so far is leaning more Democratic than usual. More than 2½ times as many people had cast early ballots as of Tuesday compared to the same point in the 2018 mid-term primary, the Kansas secretary of state’s office reported. Voters will decide Aug. 2 whether to amend the Kansas Constitution to allow the Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. (Hanna, 7/26)
AP:
W.Va. Abortion Ban Advances Without Rape, Incest Exceptions
During an hourslong meeting Tuesday, House Judiciary Committee Republicans overwhelmingly rejected Democrats’ amendment for a rape and incest exception, sending the abortion ban to the full House of Delegates. A similar proposal failed Monday in a different House committee. (Willingham, 7/26)
IndyStar:
Indiana Senators Add Criminal Penalties To State Abortion Ban
An Indiana Senate committee voted to add criminal penalties to the bill that would ban most abortions, after severe backlash to the bill from anti-abortion groups who thought it didn't go far enough to restrict abortion. Under the amended bill, doctors who perform an abortion, except for in cases of rape, incest, to protect the life of the mother or fatal fetal abnormalities, could face one to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. (Lange, 7/26)
AP:
South Carolina's 6-Week Abortion Ban Can Continue For Now
South Carolina can continue enforcing its six-week abortion ban after a judge on Tuesday denied a request to temporarily block it amid a legal battle that is now headed to the state Supreme Court. (Pollard, 7/26)
