Tag Archives: abortion

The unhinged abortion pill lawsuit hearing

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What a shitshow. The future of medication abortion in the United States remains up in the air after a federal judge heard arguments Wednesday in a suit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s long-standing approval of mifepristone. U.S. District Judge … Continue reading →

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The hearing for that unhinged abortion pill lawsuit is today

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Like I said, brace yourselves. A federal judge in Texas will hear arguments Wednesday in a closely watched dispute that could halt distribution of a key drug used for medication abortion and disrupt access nationwide, even in states where reproductive rights are protected. … Continue reading →

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The unhinged abortion pills lawsuit will take place in darkness

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing about this is good. The Texas judge who could undo government approval of a key abortion drug has scheduled the first hearing in the case for Wednesday but took unusual steps to keep it from being publicized, according to … Continue reading →

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The next frontier in forced birth litigation

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is truly wild, and potentially very scary. A Texas man is suing three women under the wrongful death statute, alleging that they assisted his ex-wife in terminating her pregnancy, the first such case brought since the state’s near-total ban … Continue reading →

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The forced-birth zealots target the Internet

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I hate to be an alarmist, but we live in a time and a place where stuff like this has to be taken seriously. A proposed state law in Texas would force Internet service providers to block websites containing information … Continue reading →

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Five women harmed by Texas’ anti-abortion law file a lawsuit over it

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this ought to be interesting. Five women who say they were denied abortions despite grave risks to their lives or their fetuses sued the state of Texas on Monday, apparently the first time that pregnant women themselves have taken … Continue reading →

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Democratic AGs file lawsuit to ease access to mifepristone

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good, albeit a bit confusing at this point in time. A dozen Democratic state attorneys general have opened a new front in the legal war over mifepristone, the “gold standard” medication used in the majority of all US abortions. In a federal lawsuit filed … Continue reading →

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Abortion funds’ lawsuit against the “sanctuary cities” guy tossed by SCOTx

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Unfortunate. The Texas Supreme Court upheld the right of an anti-abortion activist to call abortion advocacy groups criminal enterprises and emphasized the state’s 1921 law criminalizing abortion is in force. In the majority and the concurring opinions issued Feb. 24, … Continue reading →

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Abortion funds remain protected from prosecution

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, in the kind of world where this is needed at all, for now. A federal judge issued a favorable ruling for Texas abortion funds, indicating they likely cannot be criminally charged for helping people travel out of state … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit again takes Paxton off the hook for testifying in abortion funds’ lawsuit

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like deja vu all over again. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will not have to testify in court as part of a lawsuit over whether abortion funds can help people access the procedure in states where it’s still legal. … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis’ lawsuit against SB8 dismissed

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. A federal judge has dismissed a narrow challenge to Texas’ ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. The lawsuit was brought by former State Sen. Wendy Davis, best known for her 13-hour filibuster of a 2013 abortion … Continue reading →

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AG argues for separating that San Antonio criminal justice reform proposition into multiple questions

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, but an aggressive position to take. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is urging the Texas Supreme Court to side with opponents of a proposed charter amendment that seeks to decriminalize marijuana and abortion, as well as enact … Continue reading →

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San Antonio marijuana decriminalization referendum already facing a legal challenge

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t think this one will work, but after that who knows. Opponents of the so-called Justice Charter have filed an emergency petition asking the Texas Supreme Court to require separate votes for each of its provisions, including decriminalizing marijuana and … Continue reading →

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New Mexico sues its “abortion sanctuary cities”

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. New Mexico’s top prosecutor on Monday asked the state’s highest court to overturn abortion bans imposed by conservative local governments in the Democratic-run state where the procedure remains legal after Roe v. Wade was struck down. The move comes … Continue reading →

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Emergency miscarriage care

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another thing most of us have not had to think much about in the past when abortion was generally legal. [A uterine aspiration (also commonly known as a D&C) or the removal of tissue from the uterus via suction] is a … Continue reading →

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More on our future doctor shortage

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is unsustainable. Abortion restrictions have forced Texas obstetrician-gynecology residency programs to send young doctors out of the state to learn about pregnancy termination, a burdensome process educators say is another example of abortion bans undermining reproductive health care. At … Continue reading →

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R’Bonney Gabriel wins Miss Universe

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I know, not my usual beat, but it’s a followup on a previous post, so here we are. R’Bonney Gabriel, the first Filipina Texan to win Miss Texas USA and Miss USA, has a new title: Miss Universe. The 28-year-old … Continue reading →

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San Antonio will vote on marijuana decriminalization

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. Progressive groups celebrated on the steps of City Hall Tuesday afternoon before delivering the boxes of signed petitions needed to get a measure in front of voters that would decriminalize both cannabis possession and abortion. … Continue reading →

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Texas clinics begin compliance with that wingnut anti-birth control court order

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Infuriating but expected. Texas teens will now need their parents’ permission to get birth control at federally funded clinics, following a court ruling late last month. These clinics, funded through a program called Title X, provide free, confidential contraception to … Continue reading →

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Mifepristone can now be offered at retail pharmacies

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, for at least some of the country. For the first time, retail pharmacies, from corner drugstores to major chains like CVS and Walgreens, will be allowed to offer abortion pills in the United States under a regulatory change … Continue reading →

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Trying again in Harker Heights

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I admire the determination. Cannabis reform advocates are pushing back against the city council of the Central Texas city of Harker Heights, which recently rejected a voter-approved ballot measure decriminalizing low levels of pot possession there. Harker Heights was one … Continue reading →

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A closer look at the maternal mortality report

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I take no joy in predicting that the Legislature will take no action on this. Nakeenya Wilson was at a meeting of Texas’ maternal mortality review committee when she got the call: Her sister, who had recently had a baby, … Continue reading →

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Wingnut Trump judge issues his anti-birth control ruling

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And from here it goes to the Fifth Circuit. Isn’t this fun? A federal court ruling Tuesday may make it nearly impossible for Texas teens to access birth control without their parents’ permission. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that … Continue reading →

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Here at last is that updated report on maternal mortality

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still really bad at preventing it, especially for Black women. At least 118 women dead and nearly 200 children left without a mother. This was just a portion of the death toll from pregnancy and childbirth in Texas in … Continue reading →

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We said they’d come for birth control next

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And here they are. Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee to a federal court in Texas, spent much of his career trying to interfere with other people’s sexuality. A former lawyer at a religious conservative litigation shop, Kacsmaryk denounced, in a 2015 article, … Continue reading →

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“Heartbeat” lawsuit against doctor dismissed

Posted on December 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’d forgotten this was still a thing, it had been so long since it was filed. In the first test of the Texas law that empowers private citizens to sue for a minimum of $10,000 in damages over any illegal … Continue reading →

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Look to the state legislatures for the next frontiers in forced birtherism

Posted on December 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas will of course be on the forefront of this, but it will surely follow examples from other states as well. As statehouses across the country prepare for next year’s legislative sessions — most for the first … Continue reading →

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The environmental attack on abortion

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s ridiculous. Abortion opponents and their allies in elected office are seizing on an unusual strategy after suffering a wave of election defeats — using environmental laws to try to block the distribution of abortion pills. The new approach comes … Continue reading →

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Quantifying the abortion ban harm

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

These stories will keep on coming. Usually, articles in medical journals are about science; they bring data to their readers, who can use them to provide evidence-based care to their patients. But sometimes, evidence is an expression of grief or … Continue reading →

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It’s legislative bullying time

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Republican lawmakers in Texas and Washington D.C. are threatening some of the nation’s largest corporate law firms if they provide what the lawmakers consider to be improper advice on issues such as climate change, diversity and … Continue reading →

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Forced birther lawsuit targets abortion pills

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Did you think you were going to have a nice, peaceful Thanksgiving week? Sorry, no can do. Abortion opponents who helped challenge Roe v. Wade filed a lawsuit Friday that takes aim at medication abortions, asking a federal judge in … Continue reading →

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Paxton taken off the hook for testifying in abortion funds’ lawsuit

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

By the Fifth Circuit, of course. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will not have to testify as nonprofits that help patients legally obtain abortions seek clarity on whether they can do their work in states like Texas where the procedure … Continue reading →

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Our future doctor shortage

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Putting a pin in this. As reported by Jan Hoffman for The New York Times, in order to satisfy their prerequisites for specialty board certification, OB-GYN physicians in post-graduate medical residency programs must comply with national requirements, which include training in the performance of … Continue reading →

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The surge in mail order abortion pills

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how long this lasts. We know the Lege is going to take aim at it. Requests for mail-order abortion pills continued to spike in Texas, nearly doubling this summer after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, … Continue reading →

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