Tag Archives: abortion

On the importance of the Democratic AG runoff

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We have two good choices in this race. Whoever wins, we need to fully support them in November. Rochelle Garza locked hands with her mother and marched through Dallas at a reproductive rights rally this month to let voters know … Continue reading →

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DMN/UT-Tyler: Abbott 46, Beto 39

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story, which I currently can’t access. A very brief summary of it is in this Current article. The data is here and I’m going to riff on that, with references to the February version of this poll, for … Continue reading →

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Republicans are not going to stop passing anti-abortion bills

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what they do. There is no finish line for them. During their 20 years in control of the Texas Legislature, Republican lawmakers have steadfastly worked to chip away at abortion access. Bound by the limits of Roe v. Wade, … Continue reading →

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How will the evisceration of abortion rights affect the election in Texas?

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know. You don’t know. Nobody knows. Less than two hours after Politico reported Monday evening that the U.S. Supreme Court appeared ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, Beto O’Rourke leaped into action. “It’s never been more urgent to … Continue reading →

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Abbott sees another opportunity to hurt children

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He is definitely making this a habit. Gov. Greg Abbott wants to “resurrect” a court challenge over a 1975 Texas law withholding state funds from school districts for kids who were not “legally admitted” into the United States. That law … Continue reading →

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The polling data on abortion in Texas

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: At a time when Texas is poised to outlaw the vast majority of abortions if the nation’s highest court overturns constitutional protections for the procedure, a recent University of Texas at Austin poll shows most Texan voters … Continue reading →

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I’m just going to say this one thing about the pending evisceration of abortion rights

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Chris Tomlinson gets at the issue but doesn’t take it all the way. The Supreme Court’s apparent decision to allow state lawmakers to make women’s health care choices puts chief executives in a tough spot, forcing them to choose between their employees’ rights … Continue reading →

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Providers’ federal lawsuit against SB8 is officially buried

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ended a legal challenge to Texas’ nearly total ban on abortion brought by providers across the state, closing out a contentious court battle that reached the U.S. Supreme … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis sues over SB8

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, best known for her 13-hour filibuster of a 2013 abortion bill, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Texas’ recent abortion law. The suit claims the law is “blatantly unconstitutional” and written to “make … Continue reading →

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How the reproductive rights groups reacted to the Lizelle Herrera arrest

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Respect. Deep, abiding respect. Cathy Torres was ready to log off for the weekend and start celebrating her 26th birthday when she got a text message with a link to a local news story: A woman in the Rio Grande … Continue reading →

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More on Lizelle Herrera

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Listen to the advocates. They’re seeing this clearly. A 26-year-old woman was arrested and jailed in South Texas last week over a self-induced abortion just months after the state banned most abortions and weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court could … Continue reading →

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The “self-induced abortion” saga

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was quite the journey. Starr County District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez said Sunday he has filed a motion to dismiss a murder charge against a woman for performing a “self-induced abortion.” Ramirez said the Starr County Sheriff’s Department “did … Continue reading →

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Abortion funds accuse Briscoe Cain of defamation

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be fun. Earlier this month, Republican Texas House lawmaker Briscoe Cain sent Texas abortion funds cease-and-desist letters, threatening the funds, their donors and volunteers with criminal prosecution unless they stopped helping fund abortions in Texas. Now, the … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma preps to ban abortion

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was just a matter of time. Oklahoma’s state House on Tuesday voted 78-19 to pass a near complete ban on abortions, legislation that far surpasses Texas’ six-week ban. The bill is now headed to the Senate and, if passed, … Continue reading →

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More on the abortion funds’ lawsuits

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good overview in the WaPo. The Texas law has so far withstood multiple court challenges by employing a highly controversial legal strategy: empowering private citizens to sue anyone who helps facilitate an abortion after the legal limit. Abortion rights advocates … Continue reading →

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Abortion funds file their own lawsuits

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to fight back. I hope it can be successful. This week, the Lilith Fund and Texas Equal Access Fund, two of Texas’ oldest abortion funds, announced legal action (available to view here, here, here, and here) against two private individuals in Texas and two organizations based … Continue reading →

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Why the business response to the state’s right wing assault has been so muted

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A really good in depth article on the subject from the tech press, which is a source I hadn’t thought about for this before. When Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in February directed state agencies to investigate anyone who provides gender-affirming treatment to transgender … Continue reading →

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SCOTx puts the last nail in the federal lawsuit against SB8

Posted on March 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The fix was in from the beginning. The Texas Supreme Court dealt a final blow to abortion providers’ federal challenge to the state’s latest abortion restrictions Friday. The court ruled that state medical licensing officials do not have authority to … Continue reading →

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And more people are travelling for abortions

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The number of abortions performed in Texas has declined greatly since the passage of SB8. But the number of Texans seeking abortions has remained the same, which is what abortion advocates have always said would be the case. The number … Continue reading →

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More people are choosing the medical abortion option

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not like there are good alternatives right now in Texas. The demand for abortion-inducing medication spiked in the month after Texas significantly limited abortion access and has remained high since, according to new data from a researcher at the … Continue reading →

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SCOTx hears SB8 argument

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be honest, I had not realized this was on the calendar. The Texas Supreme Court got its first chance to weigh in on the state’s new abortion law Thursday, hearing arguments in a narrow challenge to the restrictions, which … Continue reading →

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Anti-abortion zealots make their move under SB8

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is where it really starts to get scary and ugly. For nearly six months, as Texas’ novel abortion law has wended its way through the courts, abortion providers and opponents have been locked in a stalemate. The law, known … Continue reading →

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Using the Texas model to protect voting rights

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some blue state needs to do this. In the midst of the ongoing debate over Republicans’ siege on voting rights in states they control, here’s an unconventional suggestion: Democratic state legislators should take a page from the Republican playbook and … Continue reading →

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SB8 litigation will stay with SCOTx

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another game of Calvinball, same result. The U.S. Supreme Court denied on Thursday abortion providers’ latest request to intervene in the ongoing legal challenge against Texas’ restrictive abortion law, cutting off one of their few remaining paths to a speedy … Continue reading →

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SB8 lawsuit moves to SCOTx

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Like I said, the fix was always in. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday sent the legal challenge to Texas’ restrictive abortion law to the state’s Supreme Court, a move that is expected to significantly delay the … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit gets set to put the final nail in SB8 legal challenges

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The fix was always in. In a contentious hearing Friday, a federal appeals court indicated it is likely to send Texas’ restrictive abortion law to the state supreme court, a move that could add months or longer before the case … Continue reading →

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SB8 plaintiffs want their lawsuit moved back to district court

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As is usually the case, the lawless Fifth Circuit is the problem, with a generous assist from SCOTUS. With the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set to hear arguments about Texas’ restrictive new abortion law Friday, abortion providers have … Continue reading →

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What Harris County could maybe do to counter SB8

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. I have my doubts much of it will happen, though. Three months after Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court sought advice on how to counter Texas’ new abortion ban, policy analysts for the court on Tuesday advised … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS finds another way to screw abortion rights

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Surely you’re not surprised. The Supreme Court has formally returned a lawsuit over Texas’ six-week abortion ban to a federal appeals court that has twice allowed the law to stay in effect, rather than to a district judge who sought … Continue reading →

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FDA lifts restrictions on medical abortion

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Long overdue The Biden administration on Thursday ended a long-standing restriction on a medication used to terminate early stage pregnancies, even as politicians across the United States intensified efforts that represent the most serious challenge to abortion rights in decades. … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS allows providers’ lawsuit against SB8 to proceed

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot to unpack here. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the legal challenge brought forward by abortion providers against Texas’ abortion restriction law may continue, bringing new life into what has become the most significant effort … Continue reading →

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State judge rules SB8 is unconstitutional

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds a little better than it actually is, but it’s still pretty good. A Texas judge on Thursday ruled that the state’s controversial law restricting abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy violates the Texas Constitution, saying it should not … Continue reading →

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By the way, medical abortion is now more tightly restricted in Texas, too

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another piece of crap from the special session. A new law limiting the use of abortion-inducing medication in Texas goes into effect Thursday. The law makes it a felony to provide the medication after seven weeks of pregnancy, putting Texas … Continue reading →

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It’s not looking good for Roe v Wade

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday, it seemed like there was the possibility of a chance that SCOTUS could so something other than eviscerate abortion rights nationally. Today, not so much. I don’t have the energy to write a real post about it, so I’m … Continue reading →

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