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One in 8 Voters Cite Abortion as Most Important Issue: Poll

Abortion rights will play a pivotal role in determining how people will vote in the 2024 election, a new KFF poll has found.

About one in eight voters (12%) now say abortion is the most important issue for their vote in the upcoming elections.

Further, around half of voters overall say this year’s presidential election (51%), Congressional election (53%), and which party controls ...

CVS, Walgreens to Start Selling Abortion Pill in Some States

CVS and Walgreens announced Friday that they will start dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone this month.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has certified the nation's two largest pharmacy chains to dispense mifepristone, and they plan to make the medication available first in states where abortion is legal.

The chains will not dispense the medication by mail, they told news ...

Number of Abortions Performed Per Month in U.S. Unchanged Since Fall of Roe v. Wade

The historic overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 has not had any significant effect on the number of abortions performed each month in the United States, new data shows.

The #WeCount report tracks abortion rates across the country for the nonprofit Society of Family Planning, a group promoting research on abortion and contraception.

Telehealth as Safe as Clinics for Abortion Pills, Study Finds

Medication abortion can be delivered safely and effectively using telemedicine, a large, new study concludes.

Women who received abortion pills through the mail following a video visit with a doctor fared just as well as women who visited a clinic, researchers report Feb. 15 in the journal Nature Medicine.

There were virtually no serious adverse events, with the medication ...

Journal Publisher Retracts Two Studies Cited in Abortion Pill Access Case

Two studies that warned of the harms of the abortion pill have been retracted by the journals' publisher over flaws in the data and conflicts of interest among the researchers.

Complicating matters even further, the papers were cited in a Texas Court ruling t...

Six Million U.S. Women Became Pregnant Due to Rape, Coercion in Their Lifetimes: Study

Becoming pregnant as a result of sexual violence is disturbingly common in the United States, a new study reveals.

Nearly 6 million U.S. women have become pregnant as a result of rape or sexual coercion, researchers reported recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

This equates t...

Nearly 65,000 Pregnancies From Rape Have Happened in States With Abortion Bans: Study

THURSDAY, Jan. 25, 2024 (HealthDayNews) -- In the 14 states with abortion bans, there have been nearly 65,000 pregnancies resulting from rape during the time since those bans went into place, a new study estimates.

To arrive at that troubling number, researchers turned to data from federal surveys on crime and sexual violence. Their findings were published Jan. 24 in the journal

Women's Anxiety Rose in States Affected by Fall of Roe v. Wade

Women are suffering more anxiety and depression in states that banned abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a new study shows.

The court's Dobbs decision in June 2022 triggered laws banning abortion in 13 states.

In the six months after, symptoms of anxiety and depression increased among women living in those states, particularly those ages 18 to 45, researchers r...

Biden Administration Takes New Steps to Ensure Access to Abortion

On what would have been the 51st anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, the Biden Administration on Monday announced new measures it will take to further protect a woman's access to abortion.

"Fifty-one years ago today, the Supreme Court recognized a woman's constitutional right to make deeply personal decisions with her doctor -- free from the interference of politicians. Then, ...

Infant Deaths Higher in States Where Abortion is Banned: Report

Abortion bans are intended to preserve the lives of children, proponents say, but a new study has found infants are more likely to die in the states with the most restrictive laws.

States with the tightest abortion laws had a 16% increased infant mortality rate from 2014 to 2018, compared to the states with the least restrictions on abortion, researchers said.

“Given the current c...

'Substantial Demand' for Abortion Pills Ordered in Advance, Study Finds

A U.S. online provider of the mifepristone/misoprostol abortion pill combo saw a ten-fold jump in orders when the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade was first leaked in 2022, a new study finds.

Such orders declined a bit in the months after the decision was officially announced, but have risen once again as women remain uncertain about access to the controversial pil...

Supreme Court Will Rule on Availability of Abortion Pill

The Supreme Court will review the ability of American women to easily access a commonly used abortion pill, the court announced Wednesday.

Mifepristone has become central to the response by health care professionals and reproductive rights advocates to last year's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The pill can b...

State Abortion Bans Have New Doctors Staying Away

States that ban abortion could be headed to a brain drain when it comes to up-and-coming medical professionals.

Three out of four future U.S. doctors say state access to abortion is a key factor in choosing where they'll apply for their residency training, according to a survey published Dec. 5 in the journal Medic...

Birth Rates Have Risen in States With Abortion Bans

New data shows that births rose in the first half of 2023 in states where abortion bans came into effect following the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

States with bans had an average 2.3% rise in the fertility rate compared to states where abortion remained legal, according to an analysis of preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Con...

More U.S. Children Enter Foster Care in States With Abortion Restrictions

When states have restrictive abortion laws in place, more children end up in foster care, new research finds.

This happened even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, the investigators noted.

The study, published Nov. 7 in the journal

  • Robin Foster and Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporters
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  • November 7, 2023
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  • Abortions Rose Slightly in U.S. After Roe v. Wade Fell

    Abortion numbers increased -- not decreased -- slightly in the year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized the procedure.

    Some states immediately banned access and numbers of abortions fell to nearly zero in those with the strictest bans.

    But they increased elsewhere, especially in states adjacent to those with bans, according to a report...

    Web Searches for 'Self-Managed Abortion' Rose After Dobbs Decision

    When some U.S. states made abortion illegal after the Supreme Court overturned the longstanding Roe v Wade in June 2022, women in those areas increased their searches for self-managed abortions.

    To come to that conclusion, researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) analyzed Google search results regarding self-abortion.

    “We found an increased number of searches in...

    Telehealth Services Can Help Women Access, Understand Medical Abortion

    Even before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, many U.S. women lived far from a clinic where they could get abortion pills. Now, a new study suggests that telemedicine can help fill that gap.

    The study focused on one reproductive health clinic in Washington state, where abortion was legal at the time of the study and remains so. But even in states where abortion is available, ex...

    Appeals Court Upholds Restrictions on Abortion Pill

    The abortion pill mifepristone should remain legal in the United States, but with significant restrictions on access to it, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

    The decision, issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, effectively sets ...

    Long Targeted in Abortion Battle, U.S. Global AIDS Program Gets New Home in State Department

    The President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that's long successfully provided relief to people with AIDS around the world, will now be housed within the U.S. State Department.

    The move comes after years of pressure by anti-abortion groups and some Republican members of Congress to attach abortion-related limits on U.S. health support overseas, including PEPFAR. ...

    FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the nation's first over-the-counter birth control pill, a move that will likely pave the way for far greater access to contraception for Americans.

    Women will be able to buy the progestin-only oral contraceptive at drug stores, convenience stores and grocery stores, the FDA said. There is no age limit.

    Opill, which is made b...

    In National Survey, U.S. Ob-Gyns Say Care Has Worsened After Dobbs Decision

    The U.S. Supreme Court decision ending a nationwide right to abortion one year ago has made it harder for doctors to treat miscarriages and other pregnancy-related emergencies, a new report shows.

    The nonprofit organization KFF surveyed ob...

    Going Solo: Masturbation May Give Humans an Evolutionary Edge

    Some might think masturbation is all about self-pleasure, but scientists now claim it's far more significant than that.

    Their new findings suggest it could serve an important role in evolution.

    An ancient trait in primates, masturbation — at least for the males of the species — increases their reproductive success while also helping them avoid catching sexually transmitted infe...

    Case Involving Access to Abortion Pill Moves to Appeals Court

    A ruling on the abortion pill mifepristone will be one step closer Wednesday when three federal judges hear arguments in the case.

    The three judges at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans have a history of supporting abortion restrictions, the Associated Press reported. They aren't expected to rule immediately.

    In November, abortion opponents in Texas filed ...

    FDA Advisors OK Approval of First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

    In a unanimous vote, a panel of expert advisors to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday endorsed the over-the-counter sale of a birth control pill, a recommendation that will likely pave the way for far greater access to contraception for Americans.

    Opill, as the pill is called, was first approved by the FDA in 1973. There is no precise information available on how much Opil...

    FDA Experts to Consider First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

    As a U.S. Food Drug Administration advisory panel prepares to weigh whether to recommend that a birth control pill be sold over the counter in this country, a coalition of advocates on Monday called attention to the safety and effectiveness of the medication.

    If approved, Opill, a daily progestin-only birth control pill, would become the first such drug sold over the counter in the United...

    Web Searches for Abortion-Linked Terms Soared After Roe v. Wade Overturned

    When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a woman's constitutional right to abortion in June, internet searches for information related to abortion and contraception surged.

    Searches for abortion-related terms increased much more in U.S. states where access to reproductive health care faced imminent restrictions, according to a new study.

    Lead researcher

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • May 3, 2023
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  • Feds Say Two U.S. Hospitals That Denied Emergency Abortion Broke the Law

    Denying a woman an emergency abortion and risking her life broke U.S. federal law, a federal government investigation contends.

    The woman, who went into premature labor after her water broke at 17 weeks was denied the lifesaving procedure last August at two hospitals that are now the center of an investigation: Freeman Health System in Joplin, Mo., and University of Kansas Hospital in Kan...

    U.S. Supreme Court Keeps Abortion Pill Widely Available While Appeal Continues

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the abortion pill mifepristone can remain widely available while litigation over its fate winds its way through the court system.

    In the meantime, the order effectively halts a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that said th...

    Supreme Court Delays Decision on Abortion Pill Ruling

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday delayed a decision on a federal appeals court ruling that seeks to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

    In a brief order, Justice Samuel Alito Jr. said the pause on any decision would lapse Friday at midnight, giving the court more time to consider the case, the New York Times reported.

    The delay suggests there may be disagreemen...

    Groups Ask Supreme Court to Reinstate Restrictions on Abortion Pill Access

    In the latest move to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone in the United States, a coalition of anti-abortion groups on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to allow an appeals court ruling to stand.

    That ruling, issued by the Fifth Circuit Court of ...

    In Emergency Filing, Biden Administration Asks Supreme Court to Keep  Abortion Pill Fully Available

    The Biden administration filed an emergency application on Friday that asks the U.S. Supreme Court to pause parts of a recent federal ruling that limit the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone.

    On Wednesday, a federal appeals court partially overruled Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's ruling in Tex...

    Florida Bans Most Abortions After 6 Weeks

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill that bans abortions in that state after six weeks, with exemptions only given up to 15 weeks for rape, incest and the life and health of the pregnant woman.

    The new law will impact women in the state, as well as those in the region where many have traveled to Florida to access abortion...

    Appeals Court Keeps Abortion Pill Available, With Restrictions

    A federal appeals court on Wednesday said the abortion pill mifepristone could remain available for now. But the court's judges added some provisions to their ruling: A block on mailing the pill to patients as well as stays on other measures the federal government has taken recently to boost access to the medication.

    The three-member panel partially overruled

  • Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 13, 2023
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  • Feds to Toughen Rules on Privacy Around Abortion, Contraceptive Services

    U.S. officials said Wednesday that they plan to strengthen existing privacy rules to prevent the sharing of private legal reproductive health care information for use in investigations and prosecutions against patients or providers.

    The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR),

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 12, 2023
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  • Big Drop in U.S. Pregnancies Seen Since 2010

    Pregnancy rates in the United States suffered a steep decline during the last decade, new government data shows.

    The overall U.S. pregnancy rate fell by 12% between 2010 and 2019, according to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

    The pregnancy rate among women aged 15 to 44 was 85.6 per 1,000 in 2019, down from 97.3 per 1,000 in 2010, ...

    Justice Department Appeals Texas Judge's Ruling on Abortion Pill

    The U.S. Justice Department on Monday appealed a Texas court ruling that invalidates the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval in 2020 of mifepristone, the first of two drugs taken during a medical abortion.

    The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas is “extraordinary and u...

    Judge's Challenge to Abortion Pill Access Brings Swift Reaction

    A Texas federal judge has issued a preliminary ruling that invalidates the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2000 of mifepristone, the first of two drugs most commonly taken during a medical abortion.

    Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk added a seven-day stay to his order, issued Friday, to give the...

    IUDs, Contraceptive Implants Tough to Access for Women on Medicaid

    People covered by Medicaid insurance may not have easy access to some of the most effective, longer-acting birth control methods, new research claims.

    Investigators found that while about 48% of physicians who treat Medicaid patients provided prescription contraception like the birth control pill, only 10% offered longer-acting methods like IUDs and implants. Birth control is considered a...

    Walgreens Will Not Sell Abortion Pills in 20 Republican States

    After receiving a warning letter from Republican attorneys general in 20 states, Walgreens said it does not plan to distribute abortion pills in those states -- even in the ones where abortion is still legal.

    The letter warned the c...

    Texas Judge Set to Rule on Abortion Pill

    Whether women will continue to be able to get a medication abortion using the drug mifepristone in the United States hinges on the impending ruling of a federal judge in Texas.

    The case will soon be decided by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, ...

    TikTok Videos on Abortion Pills Are Largely Accurate: Study

    While you can't trust everything you read or see on social media, some information is reliable.

    Researchers from Duke University studied popular videos on the social media site TikTok. The videos offered information on ways to obtain a medication abortion.

    These were typically informative and useful, the study authors said.

    “When we started the study, we expected to find mor...

    Poll Finds Many U.S. Women Confused About Medical Abortion

    Changes in U.S. abortion laws have prompted confusion among women about medication abortion and emergency contraception, or the “morning-after” pill.

    A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) underscores this lack of awareness about what's legal or not from state to state, including whether a full abortion ban is in place or abortions are allowed.

    Pollsters surveyed a na...

    She Used Pills to Medically Abort -- But Had a Dangerous Ectopic Pregnancy

    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022, access to surgical abortion became increasingly restricted in several states, pushing many women to pursue medication abortions.

    But the case of a 22-year-old who took mifepristone and misoprostol -- bought on the internet to end a pregnancy -- serves as a cautionary tale.

    She was about six week...

    CVS, Walgreens Say They Will Offer Abortion Pills in Some States

    Two major pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens, plan to offer abortion pills in states that do not have restrictions that would prevent dispensing the medications.

    This likely won't increase access in states that have made abortion illegal since a June decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

    The move by the pharmacy chains comes in response to ...

    Medical, Surgical Abortions Are Very Safe: Review

    When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling last June, many feared that abortion bans would jeopardize the health of pregnant women.

    Several months later, a conservative group known as the Alliance Defending Freedom sue...

    End of Roe v. Wade May Have More Women Opting for Permanent Contraception

    Jasmine Quezada, a Los Angeles tax accountant, says she has known since age 10 she never wanted to be a mother.

    “I never thought parenthood was for me and that was no secret to my family or my friends,” Quezada, 31, said. “When I was dating my husband, we often discussed my choice to remain child-free. I had an aversion to hormonal birth control and serious side effects when I tried...

    FDA Updates Guidance on ‘Morning After' Pill, Making Clear It Does Not Cause Abortions

    For many years, Plan B One-Step and it generic equivalents — collectively known as “morning after” pills to prevent a pregnancy -- included information in packaging that suggested that the pill might work by interrupting the implantation of a fertilized egg into the womb.

    There was, however, no scientific evidence that that was the case, experts have long contended.

    With the ...

    States That Restrict Abortions Have More Maternal, Infant Deaths

    In U.S. states with more restrictive abortion policies, rates of pregnant women, new mothers and infants dying were higher, a new report finds.

    The analysis, conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, found that states with heavily restricted...

    More States Are Allowing Pharmacists to Prescribe Birth Control

    Pharmacists can now. prescribe hormonal contraceptives in 20 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., giving women easier access to birth control, a new report says.

    Another 10 states have legislation in the works, according to research presented Monday at a meeting of the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists, in Las Vegas.

    Having easy access to birth control has been a hot top...