We started the week with an exclusive story of CARE DENIED—in Illinois, of all places. Harmonie, whose TikTok about her experience has since gone viral, was denied treatment for a dangerous ectopic pregnancy. The young mother—who already lost a fallopian tube from a previous ectopic—knew the stakes and was terrified of dying. Still, an anti-abortion OBGYN turned her away, even insinuating it was illegal to help her.

Abortion, Every Day uncovered that the physician was affiliated with Ascension, a multi-billion dollar Catholic health system found to have violated EMTALA for refusing a Texas woman care for her ectopic pregnancy in 2023.

Harmonie eventually got the care she needed—but her story is a stark reminder that living in a pro-choice state doesn’t always mean you’re protected.

Speaking of care under threat, ATTACKS ON ABORTION PILLS ramped up this week: Using the approval of generic mifepristone as a pressure point, Republican senators pushed the HHS and FDA to roll back access to the medication. Just days after nearly every GOP senator urged RFK Jr. and FDA chief Marty Makary to pull mifepristone from the market as an “imminent hazard,” a smaller group of senators sent yet another, even more pointed, letter. While conservatives want to ban the medication entirely, their most urgent goal is to stop the pills from being shipped—because they know that’s how women are getting care in spite of bans.

In fact, one in four abortions in the U.S. are now provided via telehealth—which is exactly why NEW RESEARCH from Boston University is calling for more training for providers on how to treat patients who self-manage abortions. Researchers note that even though abortion pills have an “excellent safety record,” patients will still sometimes visit ERs and primary care clinics. And there’s a gap in knowledge and confidence among physicians—especially those at Catholic institutions.

We had our EYES ON EXTREMISM in South Carolina this week—where lawmakers just announced the second hearing date for SB 323. This monster ban could outlaw some kinds of birth control and punish abortion patients with the death penalty. Bill sponsor Sen. Richard Cash insists there’s “misinformation” about the legislation—but in the same interview admitted he believes some contraception is “an early abortion,” and that his bill would even criminalize sharing a pro-choice website. Cash sits on the all-male subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, November 18 at 2:00 p.m. EST.

There are consequences to claiming abortion is murder—just look at what happened in New Hampshire this week. The Lovering Center, an independent clinic, was forced to cancel its fundraiser in the wake of violent anti-abortion threats. You can donate to them here.

Meanwhile, if you want to know what Republicans really mean when they say they’re leaving abortion “to the states,” just check out this week’s ATTACKS ON DEMOCRACY. Despite abortion protections in the state constitution, Ohio Republicans are pushing a 24-hour waiting period and proposing a ban on telehealth prescriptions for any drug that causes “severe adverse effects in more than 5% of users.” Conveniently, conservatives’ junk science study claims mifepristone causes “severe adverse effects” in over 10% of patients.

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