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☆ FDA approves Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

HRA Pharma expects a final decision by the FDA this summer on its application for nonprescription sales of Opill, which is generically called norgestrel. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, a landmark decision that will allow more women and girls in the U.S. to prevent unintended pregnancies without a prescription. The daily pill, called Opill, was first approved by the FDA as a prescription in 1973. Medical organizations like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and women's health advocates have pushed for wider access. More than 50 members of Congress in March 2022 also called on FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to ensure the agency reviewed applications for over-the-counter birth control pills without delay.

Persons: Biden, Wade, –, Welgryn, Robert Califf, Patrizia Cavazzoni, Opill Organizations: HRA Pharma, FDA, Drug Administration, American College of Obstetricians, FDA's Center, Drug, Research Locations: U.S, Paris, Dublin

☆ Former Vice President and presidential candidate Mike Pence calls for tighter federal abortion restrictions, but others keep their distance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( John Rosevear | In Jrosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence described last year's landmark decision as "a historic victory" that condemned Roe v. Wade to "the ash heap of history." "We simply cannot have the federal government subsidizing abortion in this country directly or indirectly, and that includes the Pentagon," Pence said. "We [Democrats] support Roe v. Wade," Cardin said. The Supreme Court decision was a radical decision that reversed the rights of women to make their own health-care decisions." "If a national consensus develops, I have no problem with the federal government stepping in and confirming that national consensus."

Persons: Mike Pence, Wade, Jackson, Roe, Pence, Alabama Republican Sen, Tommy Tuberville's, Sen, Ben Cardin, Cardin, shouldn't, Chris Christie, Dobbs, ABC's, Christie Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Women's Health Organization, Republican, Fox, NBC News, NBC, Alabama Republican, Defense Department, Pentagon, Former New Jersey Gov Locations: Dobbs, Washington , U.S, Dobbs v, Europe

☆ Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs revokes authority of counties to pursue abortion-related prosecutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Katie Hobbs signed an order blocking county attorneys from prosecuting abortion-related cases. Hobbs has shifted the authority of such cases to the Arizona attorney general's office. Katie Hobbs of Arizona on Friday signed an executive order that bars local prosecutors from pursuing abortion-related crimes, a move that seeks to fortify abortion rights in the politically-competitive swing state. In the executive order, the Democratic governor has stripped the authority of prosecutors and subsequently shifted powers to the state's attorney general, Democrat Kris Mayes. The Arizona legislature is still controlled by Republicans, with Hobbs serving as a check on any conservative legislation that comes to her desk.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, Hobbs, —, Kris Mayes, Wade, Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer, Rachel Mitchell Organizations: Local, Service, Democratic, Republican, Pinal County Attorney, New York Times, The Times, Republicans Locations: Arizona, Pinal County, Maricopa County

One year after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade and reignited a worldwide protest movement against restricting abortion access, pro-choice advocates in the UK say little progress has been made to increase access to reproductive health services. Proudman said the decision of the US Supreme Court last year to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling had made her reflect on the state of abortion laws in the UK. So, we’re effectively asking that politicians do the same,” O’Brien told CNN. The recent criminal conviction in Stoke-On-Trent has only highlighted how “restrictive” and “draconian” UK abortion laws are, O’Brien said. ‘Ready to take action’Charities such as BPAS which provide abortion care to women on behalf of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) maintain that the current abortion laws are making life “more difficult” for providers, clinicians and women themselves.

Persons: Roe, Wade, “, ” Nadia Hirsi, Jennifer Dean, ’, Jenny Wickham, ”, Charlotte Proudman, didn’t, Nadia Hirsi, Ella Valentine, Sana Noor Haq, CNN Jennifer Dean, CNN Proudman, Stella Creasy, Proudman, Katherine O’Brien, we’re, ” O’Brien, O’Brien, Annabel Sowemimo, ” Sowemimo, White Organizations: London CNN, US Supreme, CNN, Trent Crown, Public Prosecutions, Wales, US, Charity, British Pregnancy Advisory, Proudman, Trent, US Centers for Disease Control, National Health Service Locations: UK’s, London, England, Wales, British, Stoke, Trent, USA, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Poland, Texas, Netherlands

☆ NY Gov. Hochul signs bill to protect abortion providers sending pills into states with bans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Governor Kathy Hochul holds media availability press conference and makes an announcement on abortion rights at the office on 633 3rd Avenue. Kathy Hochul on Friday signed a bill that would legally protect doctors who prescribe and send abortion pills to patients living in other states where the procedure is outlawed. Under the measure, New York abortion providers can serve more out-of-state patients without fear of litigation. Similar telehealth abortion laws have been enacted in Massachusetts, Colorado, Vermont and Washington. The bill builds upon similar legislation passed last year, which aimed to protect New York abortion care providers from litigation, but did not specifically address telehealth.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Hochul, Wade, we're, Matthew Kacsmaryk Organizations: New York Gov, NBC, The, Food and Drug Administration, Northern District of, FDA Locations: New York, U.S, York, Massachusetts , Colorado , Vermont, Washington, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ Biden to sign executive order expanding access to birth control
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden signs an executive order in support of Joining Forces, the initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors on June 9, 2023 at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Biden's order also:Directs those departments to consider new ways to broaden access to affordable over-the-counter birth control medications, such as Plan B emergency contraception. Instructs the Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management to consider actions that would shore up birth control access for veterans and federal employees, among other provisions. The president's order does not suggest a timeline for shoring up that access and does not direct federal departments to consider new requirements to codify access to birth control. Approximately 65% of women ages 15 to 49 used birth control from 2017 to 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Persons: Joe Biden, Wade, Clarence Thomas, Xavier Becerra, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Roe Organizations: Forces, Fort Liberty, White House, White, Treasury, Labor Department, Department of Health, Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Affordable, FDA, Veterans Affairs, Management, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Democratic, Northern District of Locations: Fort Liberty , North Carolina, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ Argentina eases access to 'morning after pill', broadening reproductive rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Anna-Catherine Brigida | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Catholic country and homeland of Pope Francis approved a law allowing abortion up to 14 weeks in December 2020, part of a wave of liberalizing legislation around the region, even as the United States further north has seen abortion access tightened. In the official bulletin, the health ministry wrote that the measure would help avoid unintentional pregnancy by helping overcome "difficulties of access to health services, contraception supplies, and education" faced by some. "This removes an important barrier to access," Valeria Isla, director of sexual and reproductive health at the Health Ministry, told Reuters. The day-after pill is available without a prescription in at least 70 countries, including the United States. "For a long time it was thought to induce an abortion, which is not true," Gagliardi said, referring to the common criticism of emergency contraception from pro-life groups.

Persons: Wade, Read, Pope Francis, Valeria Isla, Vanessa Gagliardi, Juntas, Izquierda, Gagliardi, DerquiXlaVida, Anna, Catherine Brigida, William Maclean Organizations: U.S, Embassy, Supreme, Women's Health Organization, Catholic, Health Ministry, Reuters, World Health Organization, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Dobbs, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, American, United States, Argentine

☆ This Supreme Court is slow to issue rulings — glacially slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 19: The Supreme Court of the United States, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)WASHINGTON — Back in 1923, the Supreme Court had issued 157 rulings by May 1 in a term that started the previous fall. Nevertheless, the slow pace at which rulings have been issued this term has started to attract scrutiny from court watchers. In both 2022 and 2021, the court had decided 25 cases by May 1, according to Feldman. Court experts differed on whether the crunch would have any impact on how the court actually decides cases.

☆ Supreme Court's Alito says abortion leak meant to intimidate court, Wall Street Journal reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito believes the leak last May of a draft opinion that ended the nationwide right to abortion was meant to "intimidate" the court into changing its decision, the conservative justice told the Wall Street Journal. "It was a part of an effort to prevent the Dobbs draft ... from becoming the decision of the court," Alito said in an interview published by the newspaper on Friday, referring to the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Alito, who wrote the Dobbs decision, said that he thought he knew who leaked the decision to the Politico news outlet, but did not provide evidence to support that claim. A narrow majority of Americans - 56% - view the U.S. Supreme Court unfavorably, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll this month. Partisanship colors that view, with 72% of Democratic respondents to the poll viewing the court unfavorably and 65% viewing of Republicans seeing it favorably.

☆ DeSantis Faces Republican Scrutiny on Issues While Trump Skates By
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When former President Donald J. Trump called Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, “smart” in the days after Mr. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the remark caused a brief media stir and nothing more — another off-the-cuff, provocative statement from someone who is famous for such comments. But when Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida painted the fight in far less extreme terms, as a “territorial dispute,” the reaction from Republicans in Washington and a range of donors was alarm and anger. Since then, he has refused to say where he stands on federal action curtailing abortion, an issue on which he has changed his position over the years. Yet Mr. DeSantis faced extensive backlash from voters whose support he might need in a general election when he moved to the right of Mr. Trump and signed a law banning abortions in Florida after six weeks of pregnancy.

☆ Anti-abortion group asks Supreme Court to keep mifepristone restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Anti-abortion demonstrators celebrate outside the United States Supreme Court as the court rules in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2022. An anti-abortion group on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to keep restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone in place while the battle over the medication's legal status plays out. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday temporarily blocked those restrictions until 11:59 p.m. The anti-abortion organization also said the court should consider whether the FDA properly approved mifepristone in 2000 if it takes the case. If the lower court rulings against mifepristone ultimately stand, access to abortion could face restrictions even in some states where the procedure remains legal.

☆ Appeals court partially blocks ruling that imperils access to key abortion pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | Laura Jarrett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A federal appeals court late on Wednesday blocked part of a ruling issued last week by a Trump-appointed judge that endangers access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The Justice Department can still ask the Supreme Court to intervene in an attempt to completely block Kacsmaryk's ruling. The Justice Department has filed a motion in the federal district court in Washington state, asking for clarification on Friday's ruling. Kacsmaryk's ruling, if allowed to stand, would not mean that access to mifepristone would immediately be cut off nationwide. The agency has broad power to do so, with the Supreme Court in a 1985 ruling saying that such decisions generally cannot be challenged in court.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas' career marked by controversies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - Clarence Thomas' career as a U.S. Supreme Court justice began following one of the most contentious confirmation battles in Senate history and 32 years later this conservative champion continues to draw controversy. As one of the most conservative justices in a conservative-heavy Supreme Court, Thomas has been a lightning rod for liberals who have been frustrated by his rulings and his tone. Just last summer, Thomas sparked an uproar on the heels of the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which established the right to abortion. Amid outrage among Democrats in Congress, Thomas said Supreme Court precedents protecting rights to contraception, same-sex intimacy and gay marriage ought to be reconsidered in future cases. Thomas, only the second Black justice to serve on the highest U.S. court, is known for not shying away from controversy, despite an almost Sphinx-like demeanor during Supreme Court sessions.

REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant/File PhotoApril 3 (Reuters) - Planned Parenthood on Monday asked a state court judge in Utah to block a law set to take effect next month that would effectively ban abortion clinics from operating in the state. The case is before Judge Andrew Stone, who last year issued a preliminary order preventing the state from enforcing an earlier abortion ban while he hears a legal challenge by Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood argued that Stone should block the newer law for the same reason, saying it would ban 95% of abortions in the state if allowed to take effect on May 3. "As promised, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah is fighting back and doing everything in our power to make sure that Utahns can get the care they need to stay healthy," Sarah Stoez, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, said in a statement. Twelve of the 50 U.S. states now ban abortion outright while many others prohibit it after a certain length of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.

[1/3] Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrives to attend her fraud trial at federal court in San Jose, California, U.S., December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Peter DaSilva/File PhotoNEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - A key prosecution witness whose testimony helped convict Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes of fraud sued Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) on Thursday over a recent Hulu miniseries that he says defamed him by portraying him as corrupt. Rosendorff said the character, Mark Roessler, covered up Theranos' fraud by ordering the destruction of damaging lab results, falsifying records and engaging in other dishonest and unethical conduct. "At the time of the trial, (Rosendorff) was considered a heroic whistle-blower, a witness who was instrumental in the jury’s verdict convicting Holmes," the filing said. The case is Rosendorff v Hulu LLC et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No.

March 16 (Reuters) - North Dakota's Supreme Court on Thursday refused to revive a strict abortion ban previously blocked by a lower court, finding that the ban runs afoul of a right under the state constitution to abortion if it is needed to preserve the mother's life or health. North Dakota's near-total abortion ban would allow a doctor to be prosecuted for performing an abortion even in order to save the mother's life. A state court blocked the law last year, finding the providers were likely to succeed. The state Supreme Court agreed, rebuffing Wrigley's petition to revive the law, while the case proceeds on the merits in the lower court. Twelve states are currently enforcing abortion bans adopted since last year's Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.

"It's judge shopping on steroids," said Sarah Lipton-Lubet, executive director of the progressive legal advocacy group Take Back the Court. The Biden administration has called the lawsuit "unprecedented" and urged Kacsmaryk to not deprive women of a long-approved safe and effective drug. At least eight have led to rulings blocking Biden policies, with several more pending. The chief judges of Texas federal courts have the authority to reallocate cases to other judges, but have largely not done so, he said. Absent a change, litigants have every right to take advantage of that structure to seek a favorable judge, he said.

☆ Judge suggests abortion might be protected by 13th Amendment despite Supreme Court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Monday suggested in a court order in a criminal case against a group of anti-abortion activists that the federal right to abortion — which was overturned last year by the Supreme Court — might still be protected by the Constitution's 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment covers several rights, including citizenship rights and a prohibition against the government depriving "any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." The amendment's due process clause was a keystone of the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade that established the federal right to abortion. Kollar-Kotelly in her order, which was previously reported by Politico, wrote that the 13th Amendment "has received substantial attention among scholars and, briefly, in one federal Court of Appeals decision." A 1990 paper by a Northwestern University School of Law professor found that the 13th Amendment, with its prohibition against involuntary servitude, provides a textual basis for the right to abortion.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday belatedly issued the first ruling of its nine-month term that started in October, more than a month behind its normal schedule. Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the court's first opinion, with the justices ruling unanimously against Navy veteran Adolfo Arellano in a technical dispute over disability benefits. The court dismissed a second case concerning the scope of attorney-client privilege without issuing a written ruling. With the court term running from October to June, the first opinions are usually released in November or December. Adam Feldman, who tracks Supreme Court statistics, found that this term is the first since 1917 that the court had not released a ruling by the beginning of December.

Five decades ago, Jim Ziglar witnessed the landmark Roe v. Wade decision take shape inside the Supreme Court chambers. Jim Ziglar, center left, clerked for Justice Harry Blackmun, center right, in 1972-1973, the session in which Blackmun wrote the landmark majority decision for Roe v. Wade. Blackmun, Frampton said, "really wanted to become an expert in the history of abortion and the history of abortion law." The Supreme Court clerks who served in the 1972-1973 session, in which the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down. Richard Hoffman and Rhesa Barksdale worked as clerks for Supreme Court Justice Byron White in the 1972-1973 session, in which White wrote the dissenting opinion in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

☆ Protesting against Congress may get you a $50 fine. Disrupting the Supreme Court is a different story.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Lawrencehurley_Pic.Jpg | Lawrence Hurley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — When Emily Paterson was arrested for protesting abortion law changes during a Supreme Court hearing in November, she spent the night in jail and now has a criminal conviction on her record. It’s a sore point for Mark Goldstone, a lawyer who regularly represents Washington protesters. Supreme Court protesters are treated “more harshly” in a couple of different ways, he said, referring only to those participating in nonviolent protests and not violent attacks like the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. On Capitol grounds, the police “process you and release you,” Goldstone said, while at the Supreme Court, “you are going to spend the night in jail" and likely face prosecution. Participants have long complained that the right to protest outside the court is limited, pointing out the irony of the Supreme Court imposing its own limits on the right to free speech.

☆ Abortion Activists Chart Path Forward as They Mark Roe v. Wade’s 50th Anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

On the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, activists are planning marches across the U.S. to shore up support for state-by-state fights over access to abortion now that the landmark 1973 ruling no longer stands. Abortion-rights supporters aim to use Roe’s first anniversary since the Supreme Court eliminated the federal constitutional right to an abortion as a launchpad for efforts to add and bolster state-level protections for reproductive rights in the years ahead. For antiabortion activists, Roe’s 50th anniversary is a time to celebrate—and recognize their work isn’t over.

☆ Supreme Court justices were questioned in probe of abortion ruling leak, investigator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Anti-abortion demonstrators take part in the annual "March for Life" for the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade abortion decision, in Washington, January 20, 2023. Each of the Supreme Court's justices was questioned — some of them multiple times — as part of an investigation into last year's leak of a draft opinion of the ruling that ended up overturning the court's landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision, the head of that probe revealed Friday. The statement came a day after the Supreme Court refused to say whether the justices were among the nearly 100 court staffers and clerks who were questioned in the probe. None of the justices or their spouses were identified as potential suspects, according to Gail Curley, the marshal of the Supreme Court, who oversaw the leak probe. The June ruling tossed out the Supreme Court's five-decade-old decision in Roe v. Wade, which had established there was a constitutional right to abortion.

☆ Abortion opponents push post-Roe agenda at annual Washington march
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Women's March activists hold signs outside the White House in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 9, 2022. With that goal now accomplished after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Roe's precedent and gutted federal abortion rights last June, the leaders of March For Life hope to galvanize support for state and federal legislation placing further limits on abortion. Michigan voters approved a state constitutional amendment last November to enshrine abortion rights. This year's national march will take place two days before Jan. 22, which would have been the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. Abortion rights advocates were marking the occasion by reflecting on the enormous disruption in reproductive healthcare that the United States has witnessed over the last year, and calling for more legislation to protect abortion rights at the state and national level.

☆ Supreme Court probe fails to find who leaked abortion ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the United States Supreme Court as the court rules in the Dobbs v Women's Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2022. An investigation into the leak of a bombshell Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal constitutional right to abortion — weeks before it was officially released — failed to identify the culprit, the court said Thursday. Investigators had interviewed nearly 100 Supreme Court employees in the probe, 82 of whom had access to electronic or hard copies of the draft opinion by conservative Justice Samuel Alito. In June, just as the leak report suggested, the Supreme Court in a majority opinion penned by Alito said there was no federal right to abortion. The opinion came in a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which challenged Mississippi's restrictive abortion law.

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