Reproductive rights
Faith-based maternity homes ‘create a haven’ in states with strict abortion laws
CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. — At the end of a gravel road that runs through a wooded property in Chilton County, Alabama, a plain white two-story house sits overlooking a small pond. Outside the house, everything is tranquil: The swings on the new playground nearby are quiet, the pond is still, the rocking chairs lined up […]
New ballot title submitted to repeal Arkansas ‘tampon tax’ after rejected first attempt
An advocacy group submitted new language Wednesday to Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin for a ballot initiative to exempt feminine hygiene products from state sales tax, two days after Griffin rejected an earlier attempt. Additionally, the new proposal would also exempt diapers from sales tax — a change from the initial initiated act offered earlier […]
Arkansas attorney general tosses ballot title for initiative to repeal state ‘tampon tax’
This story was updated at 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, with comments from the attorney general’s office. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin on Monday rejected proposed ballot language for an initiative to exempt feminine hygiene products from state sales tax. Griffin opined that the initiative’s definition for exempted products was “ambiguous,” potentially causing […]
A men’s movement takes reins in a nationwide quest to end abortion
Wendell Shrock doesn’t believe in condoms. “We should leave the uterus to God,” the street preacher from Tennessee tells States Newsroom, in front of an abortion clinic outside of Atlanta, mid-morning in late July. Sweat drips from his cowboy hat into his salt-and-pepper beard that stretches halfway down his red-plaid shirt. The retired police officer […]
U.S. Justice Department asks Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use. The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme […]
Anti-abortion ‘abolitionists’ take slavery rhetoric to the next level
The first time Tina Marshall heard anti-abortion protesters call themselves “abolitionists,’” she said she burst out laughing. Marshall, a Black woman who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, was counter protesting at an abortion clinic when a mostly white group — save one Black woman — surrounded her and told her they were abolitionists. “I rolled […]
Arkansas Secretary of State seeks design submissions for anti-abortion monument at Capitol
The Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission is seeking potential designs for a “monument to the unborn” at the state Capitol, in accordance with a new state law. Act 310 of 2023 authorizes the Secretary of State to decide where to place “a suitable monument commemorating unborn children aborted during the era of Roe v. […]
Will abortion be on the ballot in Arkansas? Mystery documents raise possibility
A pair of proposed ballot initiatives have been submitted to the Arkansas secretary of state to enshrine the right to abortion in the Arkansas Constitution. But that doesn’t mean Arkansans will vote on the measure next year or even be able to sign a petition yet. Mystery surrounds the initiative petitions, which the Arkansas Advocate […]
Abortion pill to stay on the market until U.S. Supreme Court ruling after appeals court order
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday the abortion pill can stay on the market, but it agreed with a lower court that ultimately use should revert to prescribing and dosage instructions that were in place before 2016. That appeals court ruling will immediately be put on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court decides […]
Ohio voters are deciding if it’s too easy to pass ballot measures. Other states are watching.
CLEVELAND — Ohioans over the last century have used the state’s ballot initiative process to pass constitutional amendments that raised the minimum wage, integrated the National Guard and removed the phrase “white male” from the constitution’s list of voter eligibility requirements. Now, lawmakers want to make it much tougher for an initiative to be approved. […]
Study cited by Texas judge in abortion-pill case under investigation
Pharmaceutical sciences professor Chris Adkins was perusing news on his computer in December when he came across an item that fascinated him: Anti-abortion groups had sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to force a recall on a commonly used abortion drug. Adkins teaches future pharmacists at South University School of Pharmacy* in Savannah, Georgia. […]
Lawsuit over Texas abortion ban could be a model in other states
Read more Stateline coverage on how states are either protecting or curbing access to abortions. AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit in Texas asserting that the state’s abortion ban imperils women by dissuading doctors from ending dangerous pregnancies could provide a template for similar challenges across the country. Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after […]