The Week in Abortion
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IN THE STATES, we’re keeping a close eye on a lawsuit that could determine abortion access in Kansas, and awaiting a Wyoming Supreme Court ruling about whether the state Constitution protects the right to abortion.
And remember how the South Carolina lawmaker behind SB 323 insisted the bill wouldn’t impact contraception? Turns out Sen. Richard Cash actually wrote a pamphlet claiming “all forms of the birth control pill” kill a “human being.” Super normal behavior from someone who definitely doesn’t want to ban contraception.
Missouri Republicans aren’t much better: they celebrated this week after a judge approved their biased summary for an abortion ban going on the 2026 ballot. They know full well that when voters weigh in, the language they crafted will read like a pro-choice measure.
Speaking of the BALLOT BOX, the anti-abortion maniac running for Mississippi Senate should serve as a reminder of how normalized misogynist politics have become. Republicans who realize voters don’t like anti-abortion hardliners, however, are taking a different tack: running as PICOs—Pro-Choice In Campaign Only.
Case in point: New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, who literally calls himself pro-choice while supporting an abortion ban. Meanwhile, Georgia Democrat Jason Esteves understands how central abortion rights are to his gubernatorial campaign: the former state senator was just endorsed by Shanette Williams, mother of Amber Nicole Thurman—killed by the state’s abortion ban in 2022.
In ATTACKS ON BIRTH CONTROL, we checked in on the $10 million worth of contraception the Trump administration wants to destroy because they’ve decided it’s actually ‘abortion’. The stockpile of IUDs, pills, and hormonal implants is sitting in a Belgian warehouse awaiting incineration—but Belgium won’t issue a license because the medications aren’t expired.
The Trump administration may just wait it out: the longer the birth control sits there, edging toward expiration, the less likely other countries are to accept it. It’s a great way to dodge political backlash while still keeping contraception out of women’s hands.
There was plenty of POLICING PREGNANCY news over the last week—most of it out of Texas. First, Attorney General Ken Paxton—whose obsession with abortion is just downright fucking weird—announced eight more arrests connected to Maria Margarita Rojas, the Houston-area midwife arrested on criminal abortion charges back in March.
We also shared a wild update from 404 Media: the Texas cops who used an automated license plate reader to track down an abortion patient earlier this year were straight-up lying when they claimed it was about her safety. In reality, they opened a “death” investigation into her abortion after her abusive partner turned her in. And when journalists exposed them, the Johnson County Sheriff’s office tried to cover their tracks. Make sure to read the whole investigation.
It was a mixed bag IN THE COURTS this past week. A judge ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood affiliates, blocking an HHS policy that would have forced teen pregnancy prevention programs to comply with Trump’s absurd ‘DEI’ executive orders—which is great! In less terrific news, anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are still waging a court battle arguing they have a First Amendment right to harass patients and providers outside of clinics. (All while 40 Days for Life continues on across the country.)
But the courthouse story we’re watching most closely is all about abortion pills: In a new attack on mifepristone, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a suit against the FDA. Murrill was unable to join the existing suit brought by Kansas, Idaho, and Missouri—so she decided to go it alone. Remember, Republican AGs are in a political race to bring down abortion pills and shield laws, and Murrill’s been leading the pack—much to Ken Paxton’s chagrin, I’m sure. Her office has already issued arrest warrants for abortion providers in New York and California.
This is all part of the broader ATTACKS ON ABORTION PILLS, which have ramped up dramatically over the last few months. Most recently, conservative lawmakers and activists freaked out over the FDA’s approval of a generic form of mifepristone—even though the agency didn’t have much of a choice. Still, they’ve seized on it as another political pressure point with the Trump administration, claiming the FDA is sending mixed messages before it launches its bogus ‘safety review’ of the medication.
We’ll have MORE TOMORROW on mifepristone attacks—including details about a new letter from Republican senators piling on more pressure on the White House. I’ll also share the story of a woman denied emergency treatment for her ectopic pregnancy—in Illinois.
If you need a little hope before you click away, consider watching my livestream conversation with the amazing activists leading Shout Your Abortion. They offer a much-needed reminder that we’re going to make sure people get the care they need, no matter what:
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