Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This story has been updated . Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has finally announced its long-awaited and dreaded decision that leaked last month , restricting abortion rights by overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision , much of the news coverage will be centered around women, specifically, cisgender women. That’s logical, and not unexpected, especially since women number 167.5 million, a clear majority of Americans, five million more people than those who identify as male. Many people, even some members of the LGBTQ+ population, see this issue as primarily impacting straight cisgender women. So why talk about anyone else? Here’s why: Not all the cisgender women getting pregnant are straight. More than half of LGB people say they’re bisexual, according to the Williams Institute at the U.C.L.A School of Law , and about 3.5% of all Americans say they’re lesbian, gay or bi. Even though research … [Read more...] about Abortion And The Supreme Court: A Decision For LGBTQ+ Americans, Too
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Ahead of the Supreme Court’s Roe decision, social media is rife with anti-abortion misinformation
On May 2, just hours before Politico published a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade , the anti-abortion group Focus on the Family released a series of alarmist ads on Facebook and Instagram. They contain assorted motifs from a now-familiar playbook of anti-abortion canon: In one, the words “I’M ALIVE” accompany a bright-eyed infant’s photographed image; in another, an exhortation to “help a vulnerable mom choose LIFE!” is stamped over a baby’s feet. But all are accompanied by the same fear-mongering caption (“Scared. Overwhelmed. Hopeless. These emotions and more pulsate through an abortion-minded woman.”) and plea for money (“Just $60 saves a life!”). advertisement advertisement The ads would appear to violate Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta’s policy against misinformation in advertisements: Research debunks a link between abortion and negative mental health outcomes either … [Read more...] about Ahead of the Supreme Court’s Roe decision, social media is rife with anti-abortion misinformation
Overturning Roe V. Wade: Here’s How It’ll Impact Reproductive Healthcare — Beyond Abortion
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday and gave states license to ban abortion—and many already have—which experts warn could have far-reaching and dangerous implications for treatments like miscarriages and the entire field of reproductive medicine. Key Facts Many of the procedures and medications used to perform abortions in the U.S. are also crucial for treating miscarriages, Seema Mohapatra, a health law and bioethics expert at Southern Methodist University, told Forbes . That means the legal restrictions to abortion—alongside the fear of being prosecuted or suspected of facilitating one—also threaten to limit access to these procedures for treating miscarriage. This could prevent medical staff from offering optimal treatment to their patients, Mohapatra warned, pointing to reports from Texas where miscarrying patients are struggling to obtain their prescribed medication. … [Read more...] about Overturning Roe V. Wade: Here’s How It’ll Impact Reproductive Healthcare — Beyond Abortion
Biden Administration Will Use Medication Abortion, Civil Rights Office To Help Protect Abortion Rights, Health Secretary Says
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The Biden administration will take steps to help shore up access to medication abortion and protect patients and providers in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday, Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said Tuesday, as Democrats and abortion rights advocates have demanded action from the White House after the court’s monumental ruling. Key Facts Calling the court’s decision “despicable” but not “unpredictable,” Becerra said the Department of Health and Human Services will take steps to increase access to medication abortion, including making sure states cannot ban abortion pills because they’re protected under federal law for federal programs to provide them in cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is at risk. The agency will also provide increased guidance on medication abortion to providers. Becerra didn’t rule out that the White House could sue states that try to … [Read more...] about Biden Administration Will Use Medication Abortion, Civil Rights Office To Help Protect Abortion Rights, Health Secretary Says
Explainer: Abortion, tech and surveillance
With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen US states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that vacuum up personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use those data troves against people seeking ways to end unwanted pregnancies. History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever people’s personal data is tracked and stored, there’s always a risk that it could be misused or abused. With the Supreme Court's Friday overruling of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalised abortion, collected location data, text messages, search histories, emails and seemingly innocuous period and ovulation-tracking apps could be used to prosecute people who seek an abortion – or medical care for a miscarriage – as well as those who assist them. “In the digital age, this decision opens the door to law enforcement and private bounty hunters seeking vast amounts of … [Read more...] about Explainer: Abortion, tech and surveillance
Deadly abortion misinformation rings alarm bells for doctors, TikTok
TikTok and other social media platforms are attempting to clamp down on posts highlighting certain toxic herbs that some say might stop a pregnancy, as doctors sound the alarm over their potentially fatal effects for the person taking them. The posts appear to be warnings on substances that pregnant people should avoid, while providing detailed information on how they could cause miscarriages when ingested. Medical professionals saw an uptick of such content after a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade – a law that provided federal protection for abortion rights for five decades – was leaked in May, and even more after that decision was confirmed the following month. Rolling Stone reported that some hashtags and videos on TikTok especially have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. They became so prevalent that Josh Trebach, an emergency physician and medical toxicologist, was compelled to tweet on the dangers of such posts. "There is no herbal or plant or … [Read more...] about Deadly abortion misinformation rings alarm bells for doctors, TikTok
US braces for more protests after Supreme Court abortion ruling
Abortion rights activists protest outside the US Federal Courthouse after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe Vs. Wade, in Detroit, Michigan on June 24, 2022. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) WASHINGTON — Protesters were expected to pour onto streets across the United States on Saturday as anger flared over the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the right to abortion . Several right-leaning states imposed immediate bans on abortion after the court on Friday shredded five decades of constitutional protections for the procedure, prompting leaders around the world to voice concern. The conservative-dominated court overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision enshrining a woman’s right to an abortion, saying individual states could restrict or ban the procedure themselves. “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” the court said in a 6-3 ruling on one of America’s most bitterly divisive issues. “The authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people … [Read more...] about US braces for more protests after Supreme Court abortion ruling
Big Missouri Health Provider Resumes Distribution Of Emergency Contraception As AG Says Abortion Ban Does Not Apply To Plan B
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The Missouri attorney general’s office on Wednesday said the state’s abortion ban – enacted after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade – does not “prohibit the use or provision” of contraception or Plan B, one day after a major health provider in the state stopped providing emergency contraception. Key Facts The Missouri attorney general’s office on Wednesday said the state’s abortion ban – enacted after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade – does not “prohibit the use or provision” of contraception or Plan B, leading a major health provider to resume distribution of emergency contraception. The law prohibits nearly all abortions in the state except for medical emergencies, including pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest, and clinicians violating the ban face being charged with a class B felony (which carry prison sentences between five and 15 years) and having their medical license … [Read more...] about Big Missouri Health Provider Resumes Distribution Of Emergency Contraception As AG Says Abortion Ban Does Not Apply To Plan B
Biden And Democratic Governors Pledge To Increase Abortion Protections
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline President Joe Biden met with Democratic governors in a video conference Friday to discuss efforts to protect access to abortion as more Republican-controlled states implement abortion bans in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Key Facts Biden pledged to improve federal protections for abortion pills through the Food and Drug Administration. He also said he would have the Justice Department seek to prevent “extremist” governors from blocking women traveling across state lines to seek an abortion. Biden called on voters to elect more Democrats to Congress in the November general election so they can codify federal protections for abortions without falling foul of a filibuster. New York is the latest in a growing list of states, including Massachusetts and California , to enshrine abortion rights into their state constitutions, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul … [Read more...] about Biden And Democratic Governors Pledge To Increase Abortion Protections
Google will delete users’ location history when they visit US abortion clinics
Google will also not store location from fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, and weight loss clinics. Google announced Friday it would delete users' location history when they visit abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters and other places where privacy is sought. "If our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit," Jen Fitzpatrick, a senior vice president at Google, wrote in a blog post. "This change will take effect in the coming weeks." Other places from which Google will not store location data include fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, and weight loss clinics. The announcement comes a week after the US Supreme Court made the tectonic decision to strip American women of constitutional rights to abortion , leading a dozen states to ban or severely restrict the procedure and prompting mass protests across the country. Activists and … [Read more...] about Google will delete users’ location history when they visit US abortion clinics