Click to skip ahead: Attacks on Birth Control looks at the Trump administration’s latest not-so-slick move. Anti-Abortion Strategy details some of the ways Republicans are passing informal abortion bans. In the States, news from Kansas, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, and more. Extremism Rising reports on the threats that shut down a New Hampshire clinic event. And in Attacks on Abortion Pills, Republicans have sent yet another letter harassing the FDA about mifepristone.

Attacks on Birth Control

The New York Times reports today that the Trump administration has quietly and unceremoniously fired most of the Office of Population Affairs—the federal department that runs the nation’s family planning program. In other words, it’s another attack on contraception.

The move comes at the same time that the Trump administration has redefined certain kinds of contraceptives as ‘abortifacients’, and as the Republican budget bill has decimated birth control access for Medicaid patients nationwide.

As we’ve written so many times before, this is how the Trump administration can ban birth control without making it explicitly illegal: they just need to make it impossible to get.

As the former deputy assistant secretary for population affairs under the Biden administration told the Times, “The high-quality, confidential care [women] have relied on may disappear overnight…If there’s no one there to run it, then functionally the program ceases to exist.”

Which, of course, is the point. It allows the Trump administration to attack the right to contraception without—they hope—facing political blowback.

To no one’s surprise, the anti-abortion movement is thrilled. Extremist Lila Rose called the move “amazing news,” and claimed that the federal office “push[ed] sexually deviant propaganda to kids.”

Title X attacks have always been on the conservative agenda: they’re all over Project 2025. But I do wonder if the timing of the firings had anything to do with appeasing the anti-abortion conservatives who are pissed off that the White House just announced a new IVF initiative. (It’s very much a nothingburger, but evangelical Christians are upset anyway.) Just a thought!

Anti-Abortion Strategy

While we’re on the topic of banning something without actually making it illegal, let’s take a look at what’s happening in Virginia—where the Lynchburg city council is weaponizing boring, mundane zoning policy to restrict abortion.

City leaders have been debating a local ordinance to prohibit abortion clinics from operating within 1,000 feet of certain locations—including churches, public libraries, schools, parks, children’s museums, and day care centers.

Councilman Martin Misjuns cited the recent allegations that a Fairfax County high school counselor helped two 17-year-olds get abortions years ago—a tabloid-esque scandal that Republicans have been using in the lead-up to the November election.

“An abortion clinic across the street from a high school is just not something that we should be doing,” Misjuns said.

I couldn’t roll my eyes back any further if I tried.

The councilman also argued that clinics are “often protested” and that children shouldn’t be exposed to “picket lines.” Which is…telling. If you think children will be frightened by anti-abortion activists, then perhaps they’re the problem—not the clinic that’s being harassed!

Unfortunately, the city council unanimously voted to move the ordinance forward, and it will now be sent to the planning commission. Jamie Lockhart, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia called the move “a waste of time and public resources.”

“The role of a city council is to serve its residents and solve local problems, not to create new ones,” she said.

This is why it’s so important to pay attention to what’s happening on the local level: Anti-abortion activists think no one will care enough about local zoning laws to catch on to the fact that they’re trying to shut down clinics in a state where abortion is legal.

In a similar vein, anti-abortion publications are reporting (and thrilled) that some local contractors are boycotting the construction of a new abortion clinic in New Mexico. The clinic would be operated by the University of New Mexico Health System, and take on patients from neighboring communities in Texas.

The Southwest Coalition for Life boasts that local builders aren’t signing on to build the facility, and GOP state Sen. David Gallegos has said the same—claiming three different “major” contractors approached his office and sought help to decline to work with the government.

But we’ve seen this sort of thing happen before: anti-abortion groups will contact—and harass—contractors, landlords, etc to stop a clinic from opening.

Consider it a reminder that some of the anti-abortion movement’s most effective attacks can appear, on the surface, boring and administrative.

In the States

The trial that will determine what abortion access looks like in Kansas was back in court today. If you need a refresher, read a detailed breakdown of the case here.

The short version is that despite voters making their wishes very clear, Republicans are trying to hold onto seriously onerous and harmful restrictions—from a 24-hour waiting period to a mandate that doctors lie to patients about the risks of abortion, and ask them invasive questions about why they want to end their pregnancy.

Naturally, the laws are framed as “women’s right to know.”

In court today, two anti-choice women testified that they regret their abortions—which is unfortunate for them, but not a reason to stop other women from having the same choice. If you want to know how desperately Republicans are having to reach for witnesses, consider that one of the women was a 66-year old who never had an abortion in Kansas—let alone an abortion under Kansas laws. Another witness was an OBGYN who travels regularly to testify against abortion rights; her going rate is $800 an hour.

We’ll keep you updated as the case moves forward and people with actual skin in the game have something to say!

There’s a debate tonight between Virginia’s candidates for Attorney General—Jay Jones and Jason Miyares. In advance of the event, reproductive rights groups have launched a six-figure ad campaign highlighting Miyares extreme record on abortion rights.

From Sara Tabatabaie, Executive Director of Vote Pro-Choice:

“Virginians know that decisions about pregnancy are deeply personal and should remain between patients and healthcare providers—not politicians. Yet Miyares has described abortion as ‘sick and barbaric,’ laid the groundwork to overturn Roe v. Wade, and endorsed abortion bans that would criminalize patients, doctors, and nurses.”

We reported last week that eight people were arrested in Texas in connection with the criminal abortion case against midwife Maria Rojas. One of those eight indivi