Tag Archives: abortion

Planning to fail

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Big surprise. Anti-abortion activist Carol Everett had no experience running a family planning program when the state of Texas awarded her millions in taxpayer funds to help rebuild a network of low-income women’s health providers. The state knew that. So … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” law tossed

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Very good. U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra struck down a Texas law on Wednesday that would have required hospitals and clinics to bury cremate fetal remains, causing another courtroom setback for state leaders and anti-abortion groups. Under Senate Bill … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” trial ends

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait for a ruling. State and reproductive rights attorneys wrapped up a five-day trial in federal court on Friday that will determine whether a Texas law requiring health providers to cremate or bury fetal remains can go into … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” lawsuit trial underway

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. State and reproductive rights attorneys are going head to head again in federal court on Monday to argue whether Texas should require health providers to cremate or bury fetal remains. “It’s a tough case for everybody,” U.S. … Continue reading →

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Omnibus lawsuit against anti-abortion laws

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Talk about going big. Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned major provisions of Texas’ omnibus House Bill 2, abortion rights groups want to use that decision to take down years’ worth of anti-abortion legislation, before the court makeup changes. In … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” law blocked in court

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s deja vu all over again. Texas’ second attempt to require health providers to bury or cremate fetal remains has been temporarily thwarted by a federal judge and another court battle is imminent. In his Monday afternoon ruling, U.S. District … Continue reading →

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Abortion procedure ban struck down

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, for now. A federal district judge handed a victory to abortion rights groups Wednesday when he struck down part of a Texas law curbing access to the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, called dilation and evacuation. In a … Continue reading →

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Second trimester abortion lawsuit hearings conclude

Posted on November 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Now we wait. In a five-day trial that concluded Wednesday, lawyers for the state defended part of a Texas law that bans the most common second-trimester abortion procedure unless the fetus is deceased. Abortion rights groups sued the state in … Continue reading →

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Julian 2020?

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

He has raised the possibility. Texas Democrat Julian Castro confirmed Sunday he is seriously considering running for president in 2020 and former state Sen. Wendy Davis left open the possibility she will take another run at running for governor in … Continue reading →

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Second trimester abortion lawsuit hearings begin

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Deja vu all over again. Texas abortion providers argued in court Thursday that it is not medically necessary to require women to undergo injections or other procedures in order to comply with a new state law restricting the most common … Continue reading →

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State Rep. Larry Gonzales to retire

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is an opportunity for the Democrats. State Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, is not running for re-election. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve HD52 and this great state,” Gonzales wrote Wednesday night on Facebook. “We … Continue reading →

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Second trimester abortion procedure ban halted

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. A federal judge has temporarily stopped Texas officials from enforcing a ban on the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, just one day before the ban was set to go into effect. Judge Lee Yeakel of the … Continue reading →

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Latest abortion lawsuit heard in court

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again, and again and again and again. For the fifth time since 2013, lawyers for Texas will defend an abortion-related law or regulation Tuesday in the Austin federal courthouse, where they hope to reverse a string of legal defeats … Continue reading →

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Another national publication looks at CD07

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mother Jones, come on down. In addition to [Laura] Moser, the top competitors for the March primary are first-time candidates with stories that fit the political moment in different ways. Lizzie Fletcher, a well-connected lawyer at a large downtown firm, … Continue reading →

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Smell ya later, Senate

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

How about that? The special legislative session is over — in one chamber, at least. The Texas House abruptly gaveled out Sine Die – the formal designation meaning the end of a session – on Tuesday evening after voting to … Continue reading →

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More birth control by mail options

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. “We want women to see us and say, ‘These are people who believe that if you want birth control you should have it,’” said Hans Ganeskar, co-founder and CEO of Nurx, a California-based site founded in 2015 … Continue reading →

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Senate has mostly completed the Abbott special session agenda

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just going to hit the highlights here because this stuff is happening quickly and often late in the day, but most of the Abbott 20-point special session agenda has been turned into bills that have as of this morning … Continue reading →

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Yet another lawsuit filed over yet another unconstitutional anti-abortion law

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Texas is heading to court over a state law going into effect in September banning the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood announced on Thursday … Continue reading →

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State appeals injunction of “fetal remains” rule

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to overturn an Austin judge’s ruling that blocked the state from enforcing a rule requiring fetal tissue to be buried or cremated. U.S. District Judge Sam … Continue reading →

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This session’s unconstitutional abortion bill passes

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Texas senators voted Friday to send a bill banning the most common second-trimester abortion procedure and changing how health care facilities handle fetal remains to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Under Senate Bill 8, which passed 22-9, … Continue reading →

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It’s HB2 all over again

Posted on May 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. GOP House lawmakers took a sweeping approach to anti-abortion legislation on Friday, preliminarily passing a measure that would ban the most common form of a second-trimester procedure and change how health care providers dispose of fetal … Continue reading →

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SB4 is what you get when you vote for Greg Abbott

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is me, shaking my head. Duque, who is Latina and Catholic, represents two constituencies Abbott courted during his campaign. The same constituencies strongly opposed the sanctuary cities ban, which Abbott made an emergency item in January and championed throughout … Continue reading →

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Bathroom bills and business interests

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly’s Dave Mann reviews the Republican schism over the bathroom bill and comes to the same conclusion as I have. At the moment, the Legislature—and the Republican party, for that matter—has settled into an uneasy stalemate between Patrick’s right-leaning … Continue reading →

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Winning the battles but losing the war

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the story of reproductive rights, and access to reproductive health care in general, in Texas. “We have made tremendous gains,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life. He hopes that someday, perhaps under Trump, the … Continue reading →

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House passes its budget

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly shenanigan-free, with a nice little side order of shade for a few people who deserve it. After 15 and a half hours of debate on hundreds of amendments to the Texas House budget, lawmakers in the lower chamber passed … Continue reading →

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Video fraudsters in trouble again

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In California this time. California prosecutors on Tuesday charged two anti-abortion activists who made undercover videos of themselves trying to buy fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood with 15 felonies, saying they invaded the privacy of medical providers by filming without … Continue reading →

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Busy day in the Senate

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They got stuff done, I’ll give them that. Whether it was stuff worth doing or not, I’ll leave to you. 1. Senate bill would let Houston voters weigh in on fix to pension crisis. The Senate on Wednesday voted 21-10 … Continue reading →

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This is why you leave women’s health to the professionals

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Because amateurs and zealots do a lousy job. In pushing a replacement for the Affordable Care Act that cuts off funds for Planned Parenthood, Republicans are out to reassure women who rely on the major health care organization that other … Continue reading →

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The “Man’s Right To Know” Act

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is some high-quality trolling. Texas State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, filed a bill Friday that would penalize men for “unregulated masturbatory emissions.” The satirical House Bill 4260 would encourage men to remain “fully abstinent” and only allow the “occasional … Continue reading →

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House hears “fetal remains” bill

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously? [House Bill 35] would create a registry of organizations that can help pay for burial or cremation of fetal remains. That way, the cost associated with burials would not fall on women, [bill author Rep. Byron] Cook said. The … Continue reading →

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Texas cannot bar Planned Parenthood from Medicaid

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ruled Tuesday afternoon that Texas clinics affiliated with Planned Parenthood can continue to care for patients under the state’s Medicaid program, a phew-worthy victory for reproductive rights advocates and a loss for the state’s … Continue reading →

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“Fetal remains” rule blocked

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks ruled Texas cannot require health providers to bury or cremate fetuses, delivering another blow to state leaders in the reproductive rights debate. On Friday afternoon, Sparks wrote in his ruling that Texas Department … Continue reading →

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Planned Parenthood still in Medicaid

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For now, pending judgment. U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks on Thursday delayed Planned Parenthood’s ouster from the state’s Medicaid program until Feb. 21. […] During closing arguments Thursday hearing, attorneys from both sides cited clips from the video. Sparks … Continue reading →

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Here we go again with Planned Parenthood and Medicaid

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rooting for another injunction. Texas officials are back in federal court this week over abortion-related policy, this time to defend efforts to oust Planned Parenthood from Medicaid. Planned Parenthood has asked U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks to block the ouster … Continue reading →

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