Supreme Court Weighs Hearing High-Stakes Abortion Pill Case
Supreme Court justices were expected to discuss on Friday whether to hear a case that would counter or uphold federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. If the court fails to take up the appeals, a lower court decision to limit the availability of the drug by mail would go into effect.
NBC News:
Supreme Court Justices Discuss Whether To Hear Abortion Pill Showdown
Supreme Court justices were scheduled on Friday to discuss whether to take up a high-stakes legal fight that could result in a definitive decision on federal approval of the drug most commonly used for medication abortion. ... The court later on Friday announced it was hearing one new case but the abortion cases were not mentioned. The court could next act on Monday or later next week. (Hurley, 12/8)
The Texas Supreme Court has halted a woman's emergency abortion —
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Supreme Court Blocks Order Granting Woman Emergency Abortion
The Texas Supreme Court late Friday temporarily blocked a judge’s decision to let a Dallas woman get an emergency abortion. Attorney General Ken Paxton had asked the court to intervene after a Travis County district judge ruled on Thursday that Kate Cox, 31, could terminate her pregnancy after her fetus was diagnosed with a rare and usually fatal condition. Cox argued that carrying the pregnancy to term could risk her health and fertility because she already had delivered two other children via cesarean section. (Ikramuddin, 12/8)
Reuters:
Democrats, Biden Campaign Condemn Blocking Of Emergency Abortion For Texas Woman
Top Democratic leaders and advocacy groups on Saturday condemned the Texas Supreme Court's decision to temporarily block a pregnant woman from obtaining an emergency abortion. ... The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, said on Saturday, "MAGA Republicans in Texas and throughout the country are risking the lives of mothers," using an acronym for Republican former President Donald Trump's slogan "make America great again." Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden's 2024 campaign called Cox's story "horrifying" and "heartbreaking." (Singh, 12/9)
Other abortion news from Kentucky and elsewhere —
Reuters:
Pregnant Woman Sues To Invalidate Kentucky's Abortion Bans
A pregnant woman and Planned Parenthood sued Kentucky on Friday, seeking to invalidate its near-total ban on abortion, saying the law violates rights to privacy and self-determination in the state constitution. The lawsuit was filed by an anonymous woman, who is eight weeks pregnant and wants an abortion, on behalf of a proposed class of similarly situated women in Kentucky. It comes after the state's court ruled in an earlier challenge brought by Planned Parenthood and another abortion provider that providers did not have standing to sue on patients' behalf. (Pierson, 12/8)
NPR:
Arizona, New Mexico, And Wyoming Supreme Courts Hear Abortion Ban Lawsuits
The future of reproductive rights for a wide swath of the Mountain West may be decided next week, as three state Supreme Courts hear arguments in cases that will determine abortion access in the region. Here's what to know. (Davis-Young, Fordham, Merzbach, 12/11)
Fox News:
Red State AGs Move To Block Abortion Ballot Language Pro-Life Group Says Is 'Deceptive,' Goes Farther Than Roe
After a successful abortion ballot measure in Ohio that enshrined abortion access into the state’s constitution, attorney generals in red states are making moves to address ambiguities and euphemisms in upcoming abortion measures in their states to avoid deceptive language, an issue that pro-life groups say was critical in the Ohio vote. In Arkansas, Attorney General Tim Griffin recently rejected a proposed abortion ballot that he said had a deceptive title and misleading text. (Mark Miller, 12/11)
AP:
It's Taking Longer To Get An Abortion In The US. Doctors Fear Riskier, More Complex Procedures
A woman whose fetus was unlikely to survive called more than a dozen abortion clinics before finding one that would take her, only to be put on weekslong waiting lists. A teen waited seven weeks for an abortion because it took her mother that long to get her an appointment. Others seeking the procedure faced waits because they struggled to travel hundreds of miles for care. Such obstacles have grown more common since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, doctors and researchers say, causing delays that can lead to abortions that are more complex, costly and in some cases riskier — especially as pregnancies get further along. (Ungar, 12/9)
