Daily Women's Health Policy Report
CQ Magazine examines conservative states' attempts to defund abortion providers
Conservative states are employing several different strategies to block abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, from receiving public funding, CQ Magazine reports.
L.A. Times: Utah's fetal anesthesia law 'is a reckless intrusion' into medical practice
A "first of its kind" law (SB 234) in Utah that requires physicians to administer anesthesia to a fetus when providing abortion care at 20 or more weeks of gestation "is a reckless intrusion of a state legislature into the practice of medicine," according to a Los Angeles Times editorial.
Del. gov. discusses how states can help women access contraception
Noting that unintended pregnancy unsettles people's lives in "countless ways," Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) in a New York Times opinion piece writes that "one of the best ideas ... for how to help everyone reach the next rung on the ladder is providing access to effective contraception."
Council of Europe condemns limited abortion access in Italy
The Council of Europe on Monday said barriers limiting abortion access in Italy violate the rights of women and physicians in the country, Reuters reports.
Pa. House delays vote on antiabortion-rights bill
Conservative leaders in the Pennsylvania House on Monday delayed a vote on a bill (HB 1948) that would impose several abortion restrictions, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Federal judge dismisses suit against Catholic hospital that withheld emergency abortion care
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan that challenged a Catholic health system for allegedly violating federal law by withholding emergency abortion care for women experiencing pregnancy complications, the Detroit News reports.
Judge releases court documents in Colo. clinic shooting lawsuit
A Colorado court on Monday unsealed documents detailing a shooting incident at a Planned Parenthood clinic last year that killed three people and injured nine others, the New York Times reports.
Iowa lawmakers expected to propose state budget defunding abortion providers
Conservative lawmakers in Iowa are expected to propose a state health department budget that aims to end public funding for abortion providers, the Sioux City Journal reports.
Abortion-rights opponents in Poland to collect signatures for near-total abortion ban; advocates rally in support of abortion rights
Abortion-rights opponents in Poland have received approval to collect the signatures required to submit to parliament a measure that would remove most exceptions to the country's near-total ban on abortion care, BBC reports.
Blogs comment on 'all-time high' in antiabortion-rights violence, praise proposed sexuality education bill in Senate, more
Read the week's best commentary from bloggers at Bustle, Slate's "XX Factor" and more.
Video Round Up
Broadly shares a behind-the-scenes clip from "Across the Line," a virtual reality documentary that uses video and audio recordings from antiabortion-rights protests at U.S. clinics to show viewers what many women experience when trying to access abortion care.
Video Round Up
In this clip, RTV6's Katie Heinz discusses a new social medial campaign launched in reaction to a harmful Indiana law (HB 1337) that bans abortion care based on the sex of the fetus or a fetal disability diagnosis, among other restrictions.
Video Round Up
In this clip, Fox 17 News' Michele DeSelms covers legislation (HB 4787, HB 4830) passed last week in the Michigan House that would penalize individuals who coerce a woman into receiving an abortion.
Video Round Up
In part of a longer clip covering multiple topics, Reuters TV reports on an omnibus antiabortion-rights measure (HB 1411) recently signed into law by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) that bars local health departments from distributing funds for non-abortion-related care to organizations affiliated with abortion providers, among several other provisions.
Video Round Up
WTVF's Chris Conte reports on the outcome of a Tennessee House subcommittee hearing, which advanced one antiabortion-rights bill while deferring or withdrawing several others.
Video Round Up
In this clip, Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske hears from Kristeena Banda -- a clinic administrator at Whole Woman's Health, an abortion clinic in McAllen, Texas -- about what is at stake in a legal challenge to parts of Texas' omnibus antiabortion-rights law (HB 2).
Video Round Up
13 News WOWK reporter Alyssa Meisner interviews several women in West Virginia about Nurx, a smartphone application that helps women access birth control.
Video Round Up
In a segment on HB 2, comedian Samantha Bee interviews Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Texas Rep. Dan Flynn (R), one of the bill's authors, for TBS' "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," Vox reports.
Video Round Up
John Oliver on HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" discusses the proliferation of attacks on abortion rights in the United States and comments on how such restrictions affect a woman's access to abortion care.
Datapoints
This map, from Bloomberg Business, highlights the rapid decline in abortion access in the United States since 2011.
Datapoints
These maps, compiled using data from the New York Times and the Guttmacher Institute, underscore findings from a recent Times investigation, including that there were more than 700,000 searches for how to self-induce an abortion in 2015.
Datapoints
This chart, compiled by NPR, shows how the majority of countries affected by the Zika virus, which might be linked to a severe birth defect, curb access to contraception and abortion care.
Datapoints
In this map, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress" spotlights the 12 states that have cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing after launching investigations into the organization.
Datapoints
In its latest report card, the Population Institute provides a snapshot of the condition of reproductive rights and health in each state in 2015.
Datapoints
The Guttmacher Institute in this graph shows the rapid increase in the number of state abortion restrictions over the past few years.
Datapoints
In this map, the Kaiser Family Foundation shows how widely abortion coverage varies from state to state in insurance plans sold through the Affordable Care Act's (PL 111-148) insurance marketplaces.
Datapoints
This infographic, released with a new Guttmacher Institute study, shows the increase in use of long-acting reversible contraception among U.S. women between 2002 and 2012.
Datapoints
This map, released with a study from the University of Michigan Health System, shows how an increasing number of state Medicaid programs over the last three years are providing reimbursement for immediate postpartum LARC provision.
At a Glance
"A woman's ability to end her pregnancy too often depends on where she lives, her age and how much money is in her pocket."
— Marcela Howell of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, discussing ongoing disparities in women's access to abortion care on the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
At a Glance
"If women are not free to make decisions about their own lives and health, they are not free. And if women are not free, none of us are."
— Abortion provider Warren Hern, in a STAT News opinion piece on why he continues to offer abortion care despite receiving harassment and death threats throughout his 42-year career.
At a Glance
"Not since before Roe v. Wade has a law or court decision had the potential to devastate access to reproductive health care on such a sweeping scale."
— Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, on a ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld major portions of a Texas antiabortion-rights law.


