Since Roe Fell, More Women Have Tried To End Pregnancies By Themselves
Just as abortion rights supporters predicted: The number of women who "self-managed" their abortion — which means, as The Guardian notes, doing it outside the formal health care system — rose to 7% from 5% since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
The Guardian:
More US Women Have Tried To Induce Their Own Abortion Since Fall Of Roe: Report
Roughly 7% of women of reproductive age in the US have attempted to induce their own abortions outside the formal healthcare system, a new study has found, up from 5% before Roe v Wade fell in 2022. The study, published on Tuesday in the Jama medical journal, determined how many people reported ever “self-managing” their own abortion in 2021 and again in 2023 – a timeline that allowed researchers to examine how Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the supreme court case that overturned Roe, has affected self-managed abortions. People of color and LGBTQ+ people were more likely to report having ever attempted to end their own pregnancies. (Sherman, 7/30)
Reuters:
Kansas Hospital Sued For Refusing Emergency Abortion
A Kansas woman on Tuesday sued the University of Kansas Health System for refusing to give her a medically necessary abortion in 2022, accusing the hospital of violating a federal law on emergency room treatment. Mylissa Farmer's lawsuit, filed in federal court in Kansas City, appeared to be the first case against a hospital under the federal law for witholding an abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2022 ruling ending the longstanding nationwide right to abortion. (Pierson, 7/30)
The Hill:
Florida's Abortion Protection Amendment Leads Poll
Florida’s ballot initiative to protect abortion is winning and has more support among voters than either Vice President Harris or Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a new poll shows. According to the poll from University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL), 69 percent of respondents said they would vote for Amendment 4, which would prohibit laws from restricting or banning abortion until fetal viability. (Weixel, 7/30)
Politico:
States Break Out New Tactics To Thwart Abortion Ballot Measures
Former President Donald Trump and much of the GOP insist abortion be left to “the will of the people” at the state level. Anti-abortion groups and Republican state officials are working to make sure that doesn’t happen. In nearly every state where the question of abortion rights could be put to a popular vote this November, conservatives are deploying several strategies — from suing to have signatures thrown out in Montana and South Dakota to refusing to count signatures in Arkansas — as they attempt to block ballot initiatives that would restore or expand access to the procedure. (Ollstein, 7/31)
Axios:
Abortion Fights Spark Major Spending In Battleground States
Tens of millions of dollars are fueling ads across platforms to push abortion rights measures that are expected to be on the ballot in Arizona, Nevada and Montana this year, according to AdImpact data. Why it matters: Those same states could determine the next president and control of the Senate. Democrats hope having abortion on the ballot will keep the focus on their most potent issue — and turn out much-needed voters. (Kight, 7/30)
More reproductive health news —
The Boston Globe:
IVF, Backed By Biden, Is Still Not Covered For All Federal Workers
When Beth lost the pregnancy she had fought so hard for last year, the devastation was compounded by a thought she couldn’t shake: There goes another $6,000. Despite Beth living in Massachusetts, a state that mandates insurance coverage for fertility treatments, the in vitro fertilization she had undertaken was not covered by her insurance because her employer — the US government — is exempt from the state law. (Kopan, 7/30)
