Federal Judge: Funds For Out-Of-Texas Abortions Are Safe From Prosecutors
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin ruled Friday that local prosecutors in Texas can't use state laws to prosecute organizations that help fund and arrange abortions for Texans in other states where they are legal. The Texas Tribune tempers the news with the words "likely safe," however.
Reuters:
Texas Prosecutors Can't Target Groups That Fund Out-Of-State Abortions, Judge Says
Local prosecutors in Texas cannot use state laws that are more than 60 years old to prosecute organizations that help fund and arrange travel for Texans to obtain abortions in other states where it is legal, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin said that 1961 state abortion laws, which were rendered unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade establishing a nationwide right to abortion, were not revived when the Supreme Court overturned Roe last June. (Pierson, 2/24)
The Texas Tribune:
Federal Judge Rules Texas Abortion Funds Likely Safe From Prosecution
A federal judge issued a favorable ruling for Texas abortion funds, indicating they likely cannot be criminally charged for helping people travel out of state to terminate their pregnancies. (Klibanoff, 2/24)
On the upcoming ruling on abortion pills —
Stat:
A Dozen States Sue The FDA In Hopes Of Easing Abortion Pill Restrictions
In the latest flare up over access to the abortion pill, a dozen states filed a lawsuit to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ease restrictions on how mifepristone is prescribed and made available to patients. At issue is a risk mitigation program, which is used to ensure certain prescription medicines considered to carry significant risks are prescribed and taken safely. (Silverman, 2/24)
Stat:
Harris: Abortion Pill Case Could Take Away ‘Constitutional Right'
A looming Texas court decision on abortion pills could impact nationwide access to medication, Vice President Kamala Harris warned Friday, as she described abortion access as a “constitutional right.” (Owermohle, 2/24)
The Washington Post:
The Texas Judge Who Could Take Down The Abortion Pill
Matthew Kacsmaryk was a 22-year-old law student when he drove to a small city in west Texas to spend a day with a baby he would probably never see again. He was in Abilene to support his sister, who, pregnant at 17, had fled to a faraway maternity home to avoid the scorn she feared from their Christian community. But holding his nephew in his arms — then leaving the baby with adoptive parents — also solidified Kacsmaryk’s belief that every pregnancy should be treasured, his sister recalled, even those that don’t fit neatly into a family’s future plans. (Kitchener and Marimow, 2/25)
In other abortion developments —
Wyoming Public Radio:
Two Bills Restricting Abortion Move Forward In Legislature After Two Weeks Of No Action
Two bills related to limiting access to abortion were introduced to their second house of chambers committees and passed on Thursday, Feb. 23, just one day short of the deadline to come out of its second house committee. Although both passed with recommended amendments. (Kudelska, 2/25)
The Guardian:
Louisiana Anti-Abortion Group Calls On Doctors To Stop Denying Care Exempted By Ban
An influential group in Louisiana that has long opposed abortion access is calling out medical providers and their legal advisers who – for an apparent fear of liability – have cited the state’s ban on most abortions to deny treatments that remain legal. The group spoke out after hospitals in the state’s capital, Baton Rouge, refused to provide treatments for a woman who had a near deadly miscarriage. ... In a recent interview with the Guardian, Sarah Zagorski of Louisiana Right for Life said the public in general urgently needs more education on the exceptions to the abortion ban in a state which has the highest maternal mortality rate in the US. (Wolfe, 2/26)
Seattle Times:
She Secretly Traveled 2,000 Miles For Her WA Abortion. Why Patients From The South Are Coming Here
The Texas woman’s apartment has thin walls. Could neighbors hear her talking about her imminent flight to Washington for an abortion? Or could data from her phone be tracked, revealing she had searched for a way to end her pregnancy? “And then, like, all of a sudden somebody shows up at my door.” “Maybe that’s a little bit extreme,” the woman, who agreed to be identified only by the initial A., said of her imagined scenario. “But also, maybe nooot?” She drew out the word as she considered the question aloud. (Shapiro, 2/26)
