NC Plan Would Ban Abortion At 12 Weeks; Utah Abortion Ban Halted
Abortion is currently legal until the 20th week of pregnancy in North Carolina, and the state has been a haven for women in the South. The Washington Post says that in the first two months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, North Carolina experienced a greater spike in abortions than any other state.
The Washington Post:
N.C. Republicans Unveil 12-Week Abortion Ban After Secret Negotiations
Republicans in North Carolina introduced a plan on Tuesday to ban abortion in the state after 12 weeks of pregnancy, a move that would significantly narrow the window for legal abortions but stop short of the more-restrictive bans that have been enacted in other Southern states. The new measure was unveiled just days after proposed bans fizzled last week in two other conservative states — a near-total ban in South Carolina and a six-week ban in Nebraska — with opposition coming from some Republican women and others in the party amid fears of a growing political backlash prompted by the fall of Roe v. Wade. (Kitchener and Roubein, 5/2)
Abortion news from Utah, California, Texas, and Florida —
The New York Times:
Judge Allows Abortion Clinics To Remain Open In Utah For Now
A Utah state judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new law, one day before it was scheduled to take effect, that would have banned abortion clinics and potentially put a halt to most abortions in the state. Abortion is legal in Utah up to 18 weeks of pregnancy, and after that only in limited circumstances. But legislators have been trying in recent years to further restrict the procedure. A state law which would ban nearly all abortions is suspended while the Utah Supreme Court considers whether abortion is protected in the Constitution. (Chen, 5/2)
AP:
California Hotline To Provide Legal Help Related To Abortion
California has joined with law firms and advocacy groups to create a hotline that provides access to information and pro bono services for people who need legal help related to abortion, as the state seeks to become a safe haven for reproductive rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned. State Attorney General Rob Bonta and officials with the Southern California Legal Alliance for Reproductive Justice made the announcement Tuesday, one year since the U.S. Supreme Court draft decision reversing Roe was leaked. (Weber, 5/2)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Man Suing Over Ex-Wife's Abortion Knew About It, New Suit Claims
A Texas man suing three Houston women who helped his ex-wife terminate her pregnancy knew of his wife's plan to take abortion medication and later told her he would have helped if she had told him about it sooner, according to new legal filings. (Wermund, 5/2)
CNN:
Because Of Florida Abortion Laws, She Carried Her Baby To Term Knowing He Would Die
A Florida woman, unable to get an abortion in her state, carried to term a baby who had no kidneys. Deborah Dorbert’s son Milo died in her arms on March 3, shortly after he was born, just as her doctors had predicted he would. “He gasped for air a couple of times when I held him,” said Dorbert, 33. “I watched my child take his first breath, and I held him as he took his last one.” (Cohen, Hassan and Musa, 5/2)
The hospitals that denied abortion care are identified —
Missouri Independent:
Joplin, KCK Hospitals Cited For Denying Abortion To Missouri Woman
Two hospitals — one in Joplin and another in Kansas City, Kansas — denied emergency care to a pregnant Missouri woman in violation of federal law because doctors and staff worried that doing so would violate state abortion restrictions. Those findings were included in a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on care received by Mylissa Farmer of Joplin at Freeman Health in Joplin and University of Kansas Hospital. The report found numerous violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, known as EMTALA, and the hospitals must show future compliance to avoid penalties that could include loss of the ability to accept Medicare and Medicaid clients. (Keller, 5/2)
New York expands access to birth control —
AP:
NY Governor Signs Bill Expanding Access To Contraceptives
New Yorkers next year won’t have to go through their doctors to get prescription contraceptives under a bill that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law Tuesday as part of her administration’s efforts to expand reproductive rights in the state. Under the law that will take effect in November 2024, trained pharmacists will be able to distribute self-administered hormonal contraceptives including oral birth control pills, vaginal rings, and the patch to New Yorkers, even if patients don’t have a prescription from their doctor or nurse practitioner. (Khan, 5/2)
