With Abortion Ruling Wait On, House Passes Supreme Court Security Bill

The New York Times: House Approves Supreme Court Security Bill, Sending It To Biden
The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would extend police protection to the immediate families of Supreme Court justices, clearing the bill for President Biden at a time of rising concern about threats to justices as a potentially momentous abortion ruling looms. The vote was 396 to 27, with all of the opposition coming from Democrats, who tried unsuccessfully to extend the protections to the families of court employees. (Hulse, 6/14)

The Wall Street Journal: House Passes Bill Extending Security Protection To Supreme Court Justices’ Families 
The 27 “no” votes were Democrats from across the ideological spectrum. Some progressives said they voted against the bill because it wasn’t broad enough, and they felt Congress was neglecting its duty to protect healthcare workers who provide abortions or to put in place significant gun reforms to protect Americans. “I don’t want us to send the message of saying it’s a big club and the American people aren’t in it,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.). (Bravin and Collins, 6/14)

In related news about Roe v. Wade —

Politico: The Supreme Court Could Foster A New Kind Of Civil War
The Supreme Court’s expected overturning of Roe v. Wade has captured all the news attention, but the Court could well lay the groundwork for even larger changes in American governance before it adjourns for the term — and trigger a state-by-state battle for the new shape of laws and American civic life. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, activists on both sides are already girding for full-force political battles over state abortion access, possibly followed by similar struggles over contraception, and even same-sex marriage. (Bernstein, 6/14)

In abortion news from Florida, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and California —

AP: Synagogue Challenges Florida Abortion Law Over Religion
A new Florida law prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks with some exceptions violates religious freedom rights of Jews in addition to the state constitution’s privacy protections, a synagogue claims in a lawsuit. The lawsuit filed by the Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor of Boynton Beach contends the law that takes effect July 1 violates Jewish teachings, which state abortion “is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman” and for other reasons. (Anderson, 6/14)

AP: Kentucky AG Sues Over Abortion Law Blocked By Federal Court
Kentucky’s Republican attorney general went to court Tuesday claiming the Democratic governor’s administration missed a deadline to set up a regulatory process for a sweeping new abortion law currently blocked by a federal court order. In a maneuver loaded with political and legal implications, Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in his lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration that state officials are still obligated to craft regulations and create forms associated with the new law’s restrictions, even though a federal judge temporarily halted its enforcement while the case is litigated. (Schreiner, 6/14)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Telehealth Abortion Services Set To Expand In N.H. 
Dr. Julie Jenkins lives in Dover and works for a company that provides telemedicine abortion services in a handful of states where it's legal. She's considered getting licensed to do the same in New Hampshire — but until recently, one barrier has stood in the way. “The reason that I have not pursued licensure in New Hampshire is specifically because of the ultrasound law,” she said. This was one of the potentially unintended and under-the-radar consequences of a 2021 New Hampshire law that required an ultrasound before any abortion, even in cases where that step wasn’t medically necessary. (Fam, 6/15)

AP: Abortion Amendment Moving Quickly In California Legislature 
Fearing the U.S. Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe v. Wade, California Democrats on Tuesday moved quickly to ensure the state’s progressive voters have a chance this fall to make abortion a constitutional right in the nation’s most populous state. A proposed amendment to the California Constitution that would explicitly ban the state from denying or interfering with abortions or contraceptives cleared two legislative committees in a single day on Tuesday, an unusually fast pace for a Legislature that many times takes two years to move a bill through its arduous process. (Beam, 6/15)

Also —

Bloomberg: Abortion Care Workers Look To Unionize As Supreme Court Roe Decision Approaches
A wave of unionization is sweeping the US abortion care industry, as burnt-out employees prepare for a major roll back of reproductive rights. The group Planned Parenthood North Central States United is trying to unionize more than 400 Planned Parenthood workers in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to address issues like low pay. It’s seeking an election this summer, to get the union officially recognized. The organization is joined by clinic workers in Massachusetts trying to unionize right now, while employees at a major reproductive health care researcher are also looking to organize. (Butler, 6/14)

AP: Abortion Foes, Accustomed To Small Wins, Ready For A Big One
The first of them arrived outside the clinic past 4 a.m., before a steady rain fell and a scalding sun rose, and all along, they had prayed for a moment like this. It’s abortion day at Planned Parenthood and, try as they might, those who lined the street hadn’t had much luck changing any minds. Now, a patient pushes out of the center’s doors, limply drags her feet across the parking lot, and heads straight into the arms of an anti-abortion counselor who, a short while earlier, asked her not to do what she came here for. (Sedensky, 6/14)