Tag Archives: abortion

Abortion’s going to get more illegal

Posted on February 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just a question of how much. Republican lawmakers, buoyed by a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court and the trouncing of state-level Democrats in the November election, are pushing to reclaim Texas’ role as the vanguard among states … Continue reading →

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Planned Parenthood not booted from Medicaid yet

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A (likely very) temporary reprieve. Responding to an emergency lawsuit filed hours earlier, a Travis County judge issued an order Wednesday blocking Texas from removing Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid health care provider beginning Thursday. The 14-day temporary restraining order, … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The Susan Collins of Texas

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Three things in life are certain: Death, taxes, and certain Chron endorsements. The voters in state House District 134 — a swing district that covers all or parts of River Oaks, Bellaire and Meyerland and includes the Texas Medical Center … Continue reading →

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Why endorse Sarah Davis?

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good question. Planned Parenthood’s Texas political arm on Thursday endorsed state Rep. Sarah Davis, rebuffing abortion rights activists who had lobbied the group to deny political support for the Houston Republican. The efforts to deny Davis the endorsement … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to outlaw abortion for now

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You may have heard about this from the other day. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law Monday that would have curtailed access to abortions in the state and that was nearly identical to a measure the court … Continue reading →

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Pro-choice groups sue that “abortion sanctuary cities” guy

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Three abortion support organizations – The Lilith Fund, the Texas Equal Access Fund, and The Afiya Center – are hitting back at anti-choice activist Mark Lee Dickson and the group he leads, Right to Life East Texas. Those two … Continue reading →

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Abortion clinics say “ban’s over, we’re back”

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this will be left alone. Texas clinics resumed offering abortions Wednesday after a strict bar on nonessential medical procedures was loosened at midnight. The ban on nearly all abortions in Texas has been the subject of weeks of … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit flips off abortion rights again

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so sick of this shit. A federal appeals court has again banned most abortions in Texas amid the coronavirus pandemic, though the ruling will only be in effect for two days. The ruling on Monday by the Fifth Circuit … Continue reading →

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Abbott and Paxton continue to play politics with abortion

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is exactly the problem with that Fifth Circuit ruling. Though Gov. Greg Abbott loosened a ban on nonessential surgeries, he said Friday it would be up to courts to decide if his order restores access to abortions — the … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit allows medical abortions to proceed

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. A federal appeals court on Monday blocked Texas from enforcing a ban on medication-induced abortions as part of the state’s curbs on certain medical procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of fast-moving … Continue reading →

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And so we go to SCOTUS

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pardon me while I gird my loins for whatever happens next. Texas abortion providers have taken a back-and-forth legal battle with the state of Texas over its temporary ban on the procedure to the U.S. Supreme Court. The groups on … Continue reading →

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Do I need to tell you that the Fifth Circuit did it again?

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to tell you anyway, because it’s what happened. In the latest turn of a whiplash-inducing federal court battle over Texas GOP officials’ near-total ban on abortion during the novel coronavirus outbreak, a federal appeals court on Friday once … Continue reading →

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Abortion ban partially lifted

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. In a second rebuke to Texas GOP officials who have said a ban on nearly all abortions is essential as the state battles the novel coronavirus, a federal judge in Austin ruled Thursday that some abortions … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Circuit sticks the shiv the rest of the way in

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The worst court in the country does its thing again. A New Orleans-based federal appeals court will, for now, allow Texas to enforce a ban on almost all abortions as the state battles the coronavirus pandemic. Overturning the decision of … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Circuit does what the Fifth Circuit always does

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The fix, as ever, is in. A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily reinstated Texas’s ban on abortions amid the coronavirus outbreak, saying it needs time to review arguments about its impact. The ruling is the latest in a ricocheting … Continue reading →

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Latest abortion ban halted for now

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We follow the script. A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Texas’ ban on abortions, a prohibition state officials said was necessary to preserve medical resources during the coronavirus pandemic. The ruling came less than a week after Texas abortion … Continue reading →

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Abortion providers file suit over Abbott executive order

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t let crass opportunism go unchallenged. Texas abortion providers announced a lawsuit against top state officials, challenging an executive order earlier this week that included abortion in a ban of all procedures that are deemed to not be medically … Continue reading →

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ACLU sues the “abortion sanctuary cities”

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against seven Texas cities on Tuesday for passing ordinances that aim to ban abortion by outlawing providers and advocates from doing business in their towns. The suit, brought by the ACLU of … Continue reading →

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The extraordinary danger of being pregnant and uninsured in Texas

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So utterly appalling. From 2012 through 2015, at least 382 pregnant women and new mothers died in Texas from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, according to the most recent data available from the Department of State Health Services; since then, … Continue reading →

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Let this finally be the end of the Heidi Group’s grift

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And you should all be thoroughly appalled at the waste, fraud, and abuse committed in the name of screwing Planned Parenthood. An anti-abortion group that came under fire for failing to provide services to thousands of Texas women must repay … Continue reading →

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One thing our state loves spending money on

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Defending unconstitutional anti-abortion laws in the courts. As Texas defends abortion laws in federal court that mandate fetal burials and seek to outlaw certain medical procedures, the state has been ordered to pay pro-abortion attorneys $2.5 million — fortifying women’s … Continue reading →

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How anti-choicers have won even as they’ve lost

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The number of clinics that provide abortion care in Texas will never be what it was before HB2 was passed, despite the SCOTUS ruling that struck it down. It’s been three years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down parts … Continue reading →

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Well, now we’ve all heard of Waskom

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, I guess. Five men this week declared a small town in East Texas a “sanctuary city for the unborn,” commandeering the language of the movement for immigrant rights to counter the reproductive freedom of women. There are no abortion … Continue reading →

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Another dive into the Heidi Group grift

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer is on it this time, and as before if you’re not mad by the time you’ve finished reading you’re doing it wrong. The state of Texas has poured hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars into [Carol] Everett’s clinic, … Continue reading →

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Do we have someone running in CD06 yet?

Posted on June 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This guy really needs a strong opponent. U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, says on a video released by an abortion rights group that women commit murder if they have an abortion and should “absolutely” be punished Reproaction, an abortion rights … Continue reading →

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How Texas Republicans did not make their case to women this session

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They did have a not-excessively-misogynist session, but see if you can spot what’s missing in this recap and preview story. Texas could have tried to beat Alabama to become the first state in the nation to ban all abortions this … Continue reading →

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There’s always time for an attack on Planned Parenthood

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This one comes with an attack on local control, so it’s a twofer. Texas and its local governments would no longer be able to partner with abortion providers or their affiliates — even for services like sexual health education and … Continue reading →

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Three reasons our State Senate still sucks

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One: The Texas Senate approved in a preliminary vote Monday its first major anti-abortion bill of the session — a measure that would prohibit state and local governments from partnering with agencies that perform abortions, even if they contract for … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit wants to see how much it can gut abortion rights before it acts

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the takeaway you should have from this. A Texas law banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure will remain blocked after federal judges Wednesday postponed a decision until the Supreme Court takes action on a similar case. A federal district … Continue reading →

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The Heidi Group grift

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You’re not mad enough right now. Read this, that’s fix it. On a Monday evening in May 2016, Carol Everett sent an email to fellow anti-abortion activists detailing “an extraordinary pro-life opportunity.” Her nonprofit, the Heidi Group, she said, had … Continue reading →

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Paxton wants power to pursue political prosecutions

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the only rational interpretation of this. As he begins his second term, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to expand the prosecutorial power of his office, asking the Legislature for more resources and expanded jurisdiction to go after … Continue reading →

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Of course some anti-abortion bill will pass this session

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Passing bills restricting abortion is one of the reasons the modern Republican Party exists, so of course some bill (or bills) which do that in some fashion will be passed in this legislative session. It’s as safe a bet as … Continue reading →

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Omnibus lawsuit against Texas abortion laws begins

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta say, I’m less optimistic about this now than I was when it was filed. State attorneys and lawyers representing reproductive rights groups argued in federal court Monday over whether a sweeping lawsuit challenging more than 60 Texas abortion regulations … Continue reading →

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Second trimester lawsuit appeal heard at the Fifth Circuit

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Elections or no elections, the world keeps spinning. The federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Monday morning about whether Texas should be able to ban doctors from performing the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, called dilation and evacuation. … Continue reading →

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