Tag Archives: abortion

More dimensions for privacy in the post-Roe world

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The fall of Roe is a big boon for cyberstalkers. All too frequently, people monitor our intimate lives in betrayal of our trust—and it’s often those we know and love. They don’t even need to be near us to capture … Continue reading →

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Austin takes its shot at protecting abortion access

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them great success. I don’t think the fanatics in the Legislature will let them achieve it, but we’ll see. Austin City Council unanimously (in the absence of lone Republican Mackenzie Kelly) approved four items on Thursday, July 21 … Continue reading →

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The religious freedom argument for abortion

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this works. For obvious reasons, I’m not terribly optimistic. But it’s worth a shot. The rabbi whose progressive synagogue sued the state of Florida over a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks, arguing that it infringes on religious … Continue reading →

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House passes bill to protect access to contraception

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They’re on a roll. The House on Thursday passed legislation that would protect access to birth control, the latest move in a broader effort by Democrats to enshrine into federal law rights they fear could come under threat by the … Continue reading →

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House passes bill to protect same-sex marriage

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A surprisingly bipartisan vote, by which I mean “more Republicans than you can count on your fingers voted for it as well”. The Democrat-led House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to pass a bill that would enshrine protections for same-sex … Continue reading →

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The Republicans just want to punish everyone for every abortion ever

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They want to put you in jail. More than 70 Republican state lawmakers have signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief siding with Attorney General Ken Paxton in arguing that a nearly century-old law imposing criminal penalties against those who help a … Continue reading →

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The birth control gap

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas will do nothing to address this as long as the current government is in place. Ramírez’s situation reflects an immense need in the country: 21 million women of reproductive age needed publicly funded contraceptive care as … Continue reading →

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More on abortion travel benefits and the legislative threats to them

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Taking a broader look at what’s out there right now, it’s understandable that some companies are just hoping to not become targets. Republican Texas legislators who sent a threatening letter to Sidley Austin last week over the law firm’s policy … Continue reading →

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When abortion is outlawed, pregnant people will be denied health care

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already happening. The Texas Medical Association is asking state regulators to step in after it says several hospitals afraid of violating the state’s abortion ban have turned away pregnant patients or delayed care leading to complications, The Dallas Morning … Continue reading →

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House passes national abortion access bill

Posted on July 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They’re doing what they can. It’s the Senate that’s the problem. The U.S. House on Friday passed two bills that would restore abortion access across the country and prevent states like Texas from barring patients from crossing state lines to … Continue reading →

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Big Law versus the Forced Birth Caucus

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Place your bets. The Texas Freedom Caucus may have kicked a hornet’s nest when it threatened Sidley Austin partners with civil and criminal penalties and disbarment in a letter last week, according to firm leaders in Texas and managing partners … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues over emergency guidance to doctors

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is what “leaving it to the states” looks like. Texas is suing the Biden administration over guidance released Monday telling the nation’s doctors they’re protected by federal law to terminate a pregnancy as part of emergency treatment — and … Continue reading →

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UH/Hobby Center: Abbott 49, Beto 44

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This one is post-Dobbs. In the race for governor, Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Beto O’Rourke by 5% among likely voters, 49% to 44%, with 5% undecided and 2% intending to vote for Libertarian Mark Tippetts. More than nine out … Continue reading →

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Here come the threats to businesses

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The forced birth fanatics are just getting started. And it’s already ugly. A group of Texas state House lawmakers called the Texas Freedom Caucus sent a letter to a law firm in Dallas last week threatening “consequences” over the firm’s … Continue reading →

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A seafaring abortion clinic?

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. A California doctor has a plan to launch a floating reproductive health clinic in the Gulf of Mexico, where care will be regulated by federal — not state — law. The plan — currently in the fundraising … Continue reading →

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Brief abortion news roundup

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Too much news, etc etc etc. You know the drill. Houston crisis pregnancy centers, labeled ‘deceptive’ by experts, find new spotlight after Roe ruling. Since 2011, pregnant Houstonians seeking abortions at the Planned Parenthood clinic off the Gulf Freeway have … Continue reading →

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A few words about the state of the Governor’s race

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There are many factors. A school shooting in Uvalde that left 19 children and two teachers dead. The end of a nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to an abortion. A history-making spring in Texas is laying the groundwork for a contentious … Continue reading →

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Whole Woman’s Health moving to New Mexico

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sad, but inevitable. One of the nation’s largest independent abortion provider said Wednesday that it is pulling out of Texas and opening a clinic in New Mexico to support Texans and others facing limited abortion access after the Supreme Court … Continue reading →

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UT/Texas Politics Project poll: Abbott 45, Beto 39

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One more pre-Dobbs result to consider. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s lead over Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke narrowed to 6 points last month, according to a poll conducted by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. That’s … Continue reading →

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CBS/YouGov: Abbott 49, Beto 41

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Kinda meh, but with some caveats. As the race for governor tightens, a new CBS News poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott regaining support against Democratic candidate and former congressman Beto O’Rourke. The matchup between Abbott and O’Rourke is the marquee … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court takes some action on access to contraception

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: Harris County leaders on Tuesday passed a trio of items in support of women’s access to abortion and contraception in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The most significant of the three … Continue reading →

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SCOTx re-enables statewide abortion ban

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The Texas Supreme Court has blocked a lower court order that had allowed clinics in the state to continue performing abortions even after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it’s landmark 1973 ruling that confirmed a constitutional right to abortion. … Continue reading →

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How are Texas businesses going to react to the forthcoming criminalization of abortion?

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s too soon to say. Certainly too soon for most of them to say. In overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court presented corporate America with a question that may prove uncomfortable for big companies headquartered in states such as … Continue reading →

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Beto will work to repeal Texas’ abortion ban

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He can’t succeed, not at this time and not in the near future, but aim big and make it clear what the stakes are. In the days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Democrats at rallies and protests … Continue reading →

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Temporary restraining order granted to abortion clinics in trigger lawsuit

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some abortions are temporarily legal in Texas again. Abortions up to about six weeks in pregnancy can resume at some clinics in Texas for now after a Harris County District Court judge granted a temporary restraining order that blocks an … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Texas trigger law implementation

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One last fight before the curtain comes down. Texas abortion providers are making a last-ditch effort to temporarily resume procedures by challenging a pre-Roe v. Wade abortion ban that has not been enforced for nearly a half-century, but that some … Continue reading →

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DAs are not going to be able to avoid enforcing anti-abortion laws

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the sentiment, but that’s not how it works. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, local prosecutors in several of the largest Texas counties vowed not to file criminal charges in abortion-related cases, seemingly offering hope … Continue reading →

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Roe v Wade

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You don’t need me to tell you what happened yesterday, or what is likely to come. Abortion is still technically legal for another 29 days in Texas, when the trigger law kicks in, but many clinics have already stopped providing … Continue reading →

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More on how abortion bans will be enforced

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about the data. The Supreme Court is shortly expected to issue its decision on a challenge to Roe v. Wade that will—if a leaked draft version of the opinion holds—end federal protection for abortion access across the US. If that … Continue reading →

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There’s only so much that Austin (or any other Texas city) can do to protect abortion rights

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate this, I really do, but it’s important to remember that it can only ever be a band-aid, and very likely a temporary one. The city of Austin is attempting to shield its residents from prosecution under a Texas … Continue reading →

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Republicans threaten businesses over abortion access

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

If you didn’t see stuff like this coming, you haven’t been paying attention. With Texas poised to automatically ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, some Republicans are already setting their sights on the next target … Continue reading →

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The coming fight over medical abortion

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sure is a good thing SCOTUS will leave this up to the states, isn’t it? Republican-led states are moving swiftly to restrict access to medication abortion. The efforts so far have focused on regulations around the pills, such as banning … Continue reading →

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How will abortion bans be enforced?

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that anti-abortion zealots don’t yet know how they’re going to force women to give birth. The bad news is we cannot count on that to continue to be true. It took next to zero effort for … Continue reading →

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2022 Kinder Houston Area Survey

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of optimism in here. Dr. Stephen Klineberg’s final survey of the Houston area leaves him with hope. Yes, residents are concerned about the economy and crime, and their mental health has not improved even as the COVID-19 pandemic has … Continue reading →

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