· · · · · 

You Can’t Have it Both Ways: The Interpretation of Catholic Health Policy and the Consequences for Pregnant Women

(Reuters via Lawyer Herald)

As a committee of the Irish Parliament considers proposals to offer limited legal abortion in Ireland, this paper explores how these issues came together around Savita Halappanavar’s death, the interpretation of Catholic health policy and the consequences for pregnant women.

· · · · · 

Hold On to Your Birth Control! ACLU Forecasts Big Year Ahead for Reproductive Rights

(IllustrationThinks via CNN)

Don’t expect legislators opposed to reproductive rights to tread lightly in 2013 just because voters made it clear extreme approaches to health care aren’t popular, warned the American Civil Liberties Union in a media conference call Tuesday.

· · · · · 

State-Level 2012 Retrospective: Second-Highest Number of Abortion Restrictions Ever

Reproductive health and rights were once again the subject of extensive debate in state capitols in 2012. Over the course of the year, 42 states and the District of Columbia enacted 122 provisions related to reproductive health and rights. One-third of these new provisions, 43 in 19 states, sought to restrict access to abortion services.

· · · · · 

Texas Abortion Drug Bill Could Mean More Side Effects and Higher Costs

A pharmacist with Mifepristone.

A GOP lawmaker is looking to make Texas the latest state to restrict the use of abortion medications in a way that some experts warn could increase the drugs’ side effects while making them more expensive.

· · · · · 

Arizona Goes Live with New Informed Consent Web Page, Emphasizes “Unborn Child”

From the printable version of the site (as Jezebel points out, grammatically incorrect).

The ban portion of the state’s new omnibus abortion bill may be on hold, but other pieces of the bill are now in place.

· · · · · 

Arizona Appeals District Court Ruling on Planned Parenthood Funding

photo courtesy of WeNews via Flickr

The state of Arizona appealed a lower court’s ruling that blocked recent efforts to strip Planned Parenthood of public funding.

· · · · · 

ELECTION 2012: The Under-the-Radar State, County, and City Races That Produced Surprising Results

Justin Pye/Richmond Confidential

On Tuesday, high-profile political coverage in the national media was mainly focused on the US presidential election, some Senate and House races, and a few state ballot measures. Yet there were a seemingly endless number of smaller, less-publicized elections for city- and state-level positions, votes on state initiatives that flew under the radar, and city and county decisions that were only covered in local news.

· · · · · 

Ninth Circuit Panel Appears Skeptical Of Arizona 20-Week Abortion Ban, As Lawyers Argue Women Need “Protection”

photo courtsey of mikecogh via Flickr

A panel of judges heard arguments Monday on Arizona’s 20 week abortion ban and didn’t appear convinced the state had made its case.

· · · · · 

The So-Called Personhood and Fetal Pain Bans, and the Race to the Supreme Court Steps

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Personhood measures are billed as the most direct threat to Roe v. Wade, but it is the 20 week bans we need to pay the most attention to.

· · · · · 

Yoest: Arizona 20-Week Gestational Ban Written With Kennedy In Mind

Charmaine Yoest. Photo: Americans United for Life.

The anti-choice advocate is ready to see just how much the Supreme Court’s swing vote is willing to “protect” women.

· · · · ·