Telehealth Has Unlocked Abortion Access In South And Midwest: Study

Stat: Telehealth Has Changed The Abortion Landscape, Study Says 
Population-based rates of telemedicine abortion were highest in Southern and Midwestern states, particularly those with abortion bans, during a 15-month period starting in July 2023. That’s when several telehealth abortion providers, including Aid Access, began prescribing medication abortion under state shield laws intended to protect abortion care providers who treat patients in areas with bans. In those 15 months, 84% of Aid Access’ prescriptions went to patients in states with near-total abortion bans or bans specifically on telemedicine abortion. Notably, rates of abortion provision were higher in areas where people had to travel farther to the nearest clinic, and in counties with higher poverty levels. (Palmer, 8/11)

More abortion news —

Indy Star: Abortion Providers Lose Appeal Over Abortion Ban Challenge
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the state's near-total abortion ban on Aug. 11, ruling that the 2022 law did not violate the "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" clause of the Indiana Constitution. The decision is the latest blow to efforts by reproductive rights advocates seeking to expand abortion access after the Indiana General Assembly banned it except in the case of rape or incest, lethal fetal anomalies or risk to the health and life of the pregnant person. Under the first exception, abortions must be obtained within 10 weeks after fertilization while physicians can perform abortions for lethal fetal anomalies up to 20 weeks post-fertilization. (Meador, 8/11)

Courthouse News Service: Satanic Temple Blocked From Suing Over Idaho Abortion Ban 
Satan may be the "ruler of this world," according to John 12:31, but his followers still can't sue to overturn Idaho's abortion ban, after a Ninth Circuit panel ruled Monday that the Satanic Temple lacks standing to challenge the law. The temple runs a telehealth abortion clinic in New Mexico known as "Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic," which provides abortion pills, like mifepristone, over the mail. (Aron, 8/11)

Mother Jones: Texas Bill Would Allow Lawsuits Over Shipping Abortion Pills 
Texas lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would allow lawsuits to target anyone who manufactures, mails, delivers, prescribes, or distributes abortion pills. The bill would also permit people to file a wrongful death lawsuit if the medication results in harm or the death of a fetus or the mother, within a statute of limitations up to six years. (Samu, 8/11)

NBC News: Texas Woman Sues Marine, Claiming He Spiked Her Drink With Abortion Pills
A Texas woman is suing a U.S. Marine, alleging he spiked her drink with nearly a dozen abortion pills, killing their unborn child, after she rebuffed his repeated requests to “get rid of it,” according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed in federal court Monday. Liana Davis alleges Christopher Cooprider secretly dissolved at least 10 abortion pills into a cup of hot chocolate that he prepared for her April 5 and then left the house and stopped responding as she profusely bled, the suit says. (Chan, 8/11)

AP: Many Of Trump's Court Nominees Have Been Active In Anti-Abortion Movement
One called abortion a “barbaric practice.” Another referred to himself as a “zealot” for the anti-abortion movement. Several have played prominent roles in defending their state’s abortion restrictions in court and in cases that have had national impact, including on access to medication abortion. As President Donald Trump pushes the Senate to confirm his federal judicial nominees, a review by The Associated Press shows that roughly half of them have revealed anti-abortion views, been associated with anti-abortion groups or defended abortion restrictions. (Fernando, 8/10)

In other reproductive health news —

KVPR: What's The Deal With Claims That Birth Control Is Dangerous?
According to posts on TikTok, hormonal birth control can cause a nearly unlimited list of ailments: Depression, irreversible infertility, acne, destruction of the gut biome, weight gain, balding, and decreased libido to name a few. At the same time, a growing number of influencers advocate tracking fertility cycles naturally – or with apps – to prevent pregnancy, while avoiding birth control altogether. How did the pill get such a bad reputation and is there anything to worry about? Is cycle tracking a valid alternative? We asked researchers and doctors. (Riddle, 8/11)

MedPage Today: In Utero Treatment For Brain Birth Defect Feasible, Promising
In utero embolization of high-risk vein of Galen malformation (VOGM) was feasible for fetuses, early results from a single-center intervention study showed. Five of the seven attempts at this procedure successfully blocked off these abnormal, direct connections between veins and arteries in the brain that lead to very high venous blood pressure, with three treated fetuses surviving past the neonatal period to meet milestones at 6 months of age, reported Darren Orbach, MD, PhD, of Boston Children's Hospital, and colleagues in JAMA. (Henderson, 8/11)

The Washington Post: Working Mothers Are Leaving The Work Force, Undoing Pandemic Gains 
Working mothers, who helped drive much of the job market’s post-pandemic comeback, are leaving the workforce in large numbers this year. The share of working mothers age 25 to 44 with young children has fallen nearly every month this year, dropping by nearly 3 percentage points between January and June, to the lowest level in more than three years, according to an analysis of federal data by Misty Heggeness, a professor at the University of Kansas and former principal economist at the Census Bureau. (Bhattarai, 8/11)