Reproductive rights protected in several states by midterm election ballot measures

Voters in Nevada, Virginia, Missouri and Idaho passed or strengthened protections for women’s reproductive freedom…

 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/nov/05/abortion-ballot-measures-pass

 

Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled. It’s Worse in Abortion-Ban States. — ProPublica

Increase in Deaths: ProPublica’s analysis of CDC data found that almost 200 women died after an ectopic pregnancy from 2020 to 2025, compared with about 100 in the previous six years. 

Delays in Care: Abortion bans make exceptions for ectopic pregnancies, but getting a definitive diagnosis can mean waiting days or even weeks, while the risk of rupture and death rises. 

Federal Inaction: There’s been no public response to the increase in deaths. The Department of Health and Human Services has drastically cut maternal health staffers and grant funding.

 https://www.propublica.org/article/ectopic-pregnancy-deaths-doubled-analysis

Providers see more abortions later in pregnancy as bans spread in US

Patients are showing up ‘later and sicker’ for abortion care as more US states adopt bans and significant restrictions…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/30/abortion-bans-later-procedures

 

In Arkansas, Emily Waldorf Nearly Died After Being Denied Miscarriage Care — ProPublica

Treated as a Liability: Emily Waldorf was denied care for a risky miscarriage due to Arkansas’ abortion ban, even after she met the hospital’s CEO, called the governor’s office and got a lawyer. 

Lawyers, Not Doctors: Medical standards say it’s necessary for doctors to offer abortion. Women have died without it. But in states with bans, lawyers often decide if patients get care. 

An Isolated Fix: Texas recently provided guidance that says doctors don’t need to wait for miscarrying patients to get sicker before intervening. Arkansas and other states have not... 

https://www.propublica.org/article/arkansas-abortion-ban-miscarriage-care 

 

Texas Medical Board Disciplines Doctors in Porsha Ngumezi and Nevaeh Crain Cases — ProPublica

Maternal care experts say health care providers will continue to hesitate to offer standard care as long as bans carry serious criminal consequences — Texas’ law can put a physician behind bars for 99 years. But those who spoke to ProPublica say that medical board sanctions are one of the few levers that can provide a counterweight, pushing hospitals and doctors to provide standard care despite uncertainty over vaguely written laws...

 https://www.propublica.org/article/tmb-disciplines-doctors-ngumezi-crain-cases

 

A "religious freedom" argument just defeated Indiana's abortion ban!

In a stunning decision out of Indiana, a judge has blocked the state’s near-total abortion ban saying that it violates the religious freedom of people whose faith teaches them it's okay to have the procedure. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRs0RceLJZ8

 

State passes new six-week abortion ban that lawmakers call ‘insult to voters’

Bill faces constitutional hurdles as previous abortion bans were struck down by state supreme court in January…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/15/abortion-wyoming-supreme-court

 

Indiana judge rules that Indiana’s abortion ban violates religious freedom

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UhU40Xc8S3U

 

‘I was violated and put in extreme danger’: women denied abortions sue over Arkansas ban

It argues that the laws banning abortion in Arkansas – there are two virtually identical laws on the books – must be struck down because they violate the state constitution and its guarantee that people have the right to equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These anti-abortion laws, the lawsuit alleges, not only infringe on people's right to choose how to build their families, but also threaten their lives, fertility and economic wellbeing…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/28/arkansas-lawsuit-abortion-ban-miscarriage

 

Republican Attack on Obama BACKFIRES Spectacularly with Supreme Court LOSS

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yKp59TD_-0A

 

Iowa has an OB-GYN shortage. Is the state's abortion ban partially to blame? : Shots - Health News : NPR

Iowa ranks last among states for the number of OB-GYNS per capita. State legislators are trying to recruit more, but some doctors say the state's strict abortion ban is partially to blame...

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5558169/iowa-obgyns-abortion-ban-maternity-care-desert-maternal-mortality-obstetrics 

 

Wisconsin supreme court strikes down 1849 abortion ban | Abortion | The Guardian

Liberal justices rule the state's 19th-century ban was replaced by later law allowing abortion until viability…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/02/wisconsin-court-abortion-ban 

 

Under Texas’ Abortion Ban, More Women Nearly Bled to Death During Miscarriage — ProPublica

While they can be lifesaving, transfusions do not stop the bleeding, experts told ProPublica, and they can introduce complications, such as severe allergic reactions, autoimmune disorders or, in rare events, blood cancer. The dangers of hemorrhage are far greater, from organ failure to kidney damage to loss of sensation in the fingers and toes. "There's a finite amount of blood," said Dr. Sarah Prager, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington. "And when it all comes out, you're dead." 

ProPublica's findings about the rise in blood transfusions make clear that women who experience early miscarriages in abortion ban states are living in a more dangerous medical climate than many believe, said Amanda Nagle, a doctoral student investigating the same blood transfusion data for a forthcoming paper in the American Journal of Public Health.

"If people are seeking care at an emergency department," Nagle said, "there are serious health risks to delaying that care."…

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-miscarriage-blood-transfusions

 

Texas hospital that sent woman home with nonviable pregnancy violated the law, federal inquiry finds | PBS News

"We see patients with miscarriages being denied care, bleeding out in parking lots. We see patients with nonviable pregnancies being told to continue those to term," said Molly Duane, an attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights that represented Thurman. "This is not, maybe, what some people thought abortion bans would look like, but this is the reality."

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/texas-hospital-that-sent-woman-home-with-nonviable-pregnancy-violated-the-law-federal-inquiry-finds

US doctors describe three patient deaths that could have been prevented with abortion access in new study

Doctors in states with abortion bans say patients were not told of abortion care as option for fear of legal consequences…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/03/abortion-critically-ill-patients

 

Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared. — ProPublica

ProPublica's first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas' abortion ban...

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-sepsis-maternal-mortality-analysis

Ohio woman sues hospital and police after she was arrested over miscarriage | Ohio | The Guardian

"This case is a perfect example of the broader implications of the overruling of Roe v Wade in the Dobbs case. Brittany was not seeking an abortion," said Julia Rickert, one of Watts's attorneys and a partner at the civil rights law firm Loevy and Loevy. "But the repercussions of the Dobbs decision meant that her pregnancy and her choices and her medical crisis were viewed in a different way." 

On 19 September 2023, when Watts was about 21 weeks into a wanted pregnancy, she went to the hospital after she started experiencing pain and bleeding, according to the lawsuit. Although she was showing signs of potential miscarriage, the lawsuit alleges that Watts "received no meaningful treatment or guidance". She left the hospital after several hours, only to return the following day. Although a doctor told her that her pregnancy was in effect over and that she was at risk of hemorrhaging and sepsis, the lawsuit alleges that Watts once again did not receive adequate treatment for hours and left the hospital…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/16/brittany-watts-lawsuit-miscarriage-abuse-of-corpse

Permanent contraception surged after Roe v Wade overturned, study finds

Young adults living in states likely to ban abortion obtained tubal sterilizations and vasectomies in months after ruling…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/06/permanent-contraception-abortion-roe-v-wade

 

Missouri's abortion ban partially blocked by judge

In his Friday preliminary injunction, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang wrote that the state's abortion ban is "directly at odds" with Amendment 3, which voters approved last month, and the statute is "therefore presumptively invalid."…

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5052166-missouri-abortion-ban-blocked/

Texas sues New York doctor accused of mailing abortion pills across state lines | US news | The Guardian

Because Carpenter is based in New York, Paxton's lawsuit will come up against New York's shield law, which dictates that officials in the state will not cooperate with attempts by other states to sue or prosecute providers who send abortion pills to people in states that ban abortion. Seven other states have passed similar shield laws since the US supreme court overturned Roe...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/13/texas-abortion-pills-lawsuit-ken-paxton