Republicans push back on Biden plan to axe federal funds for anti-abortion counseling centers

WASHINGTON — In a new twist to the fight over abortion access, congressional Republicans are trying to block a Biden administration spending rule that they say will cut off millions of dollars to anti-abortion counseling centers. The rule would prohibit states from sending federal funds earmarked for needy Americans to so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” which … Read more

Ohio woman who miscarried at home won’t be charged with corpse abuse, grand jury decides

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio woman facing a criminal charge for her handling of a home miscarriage will not be charged, a grand jury decided Thursday. The Trumbull County prosecutor’s office said grand jurors declined to return an indictment for abuse of a corpse against Brittany Watts, 34, of Warren, resolving a case that sparked … Read more

Cesarean deliveries surge in Puerto Rico, reaching a record rate in the US territory, report says

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Cesareans are surging in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which has one of the world’s highest rates with more than 50% of babies now delivered via surgery compared with only 32% on the U.S. mainland, according to a federal report released Wednesday. The rates of cesarean delivery on the … Read more

More women join challenge to Tennessee’s abortion ban law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — More women on Monday joined a Tennessee lawsuit challenging the state’s broad abortion ban that went into effect shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The legal challenge is part of a handful of lawsuits filed across the U.S. in Republican-dominant states seeking clarity on the circumstances … Read more

In Texas case, federal appeals panel says emergency care abortions not required by 1986 law

NEW ORLEANS — The Biden administration cannot use a 1986 emergency care law to require hospitals in Texas hospitals to provide abortions for women whose lives are at risk due to pregnancy, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. It’s one of numerous cases involving abortion restrictions that have played out in state and federal courts … Read more

US women stocking up on abortion pills, especially amid news about restrictions

Thousands of women stocked up on abortion pills just in case they needed them, new research shows, with demand peaking in the past couple years at times when it looked like the medications might become harder to get. Medication abortion accounts for more than half of all abortions in the U.S., and typically involves two … Read more

Some state abortion bans stir confusion, and it’s uncertain if lawmakers will clarify them

Ever since the nation’s highest court ended abortion rights more than a year ago, vaguely worded bans enacted in some Republican-controlled states have caused bewilderment over how exceptions should be applied. Supporters have touted these exemptions, tucked inside statutes restricting abortion, as sufficient enough to protect the life of the woman. Yet repeatedly, when applied … Read more