Main menu

Search

Listen

News 88.9 KNPR
Classical 89.7 KCNV
'Jazz'
Podcasts view all

member station

Subscribe to Abortion rights

Abortion rights

NPR
National
Planned Parenthood plans to spend at least $45 million backing candidates in local, state and national races who support abortion rights.

With Abortion Rights On The Line, Planned Parenthood Announces 2020 Push

Oct 09, 2019
The abortion-rights group says the goal of the $45 million campaign is to unseat President Trump as well as elect candidates at all levels who support abortion rights.
NPR
Law
The Supreme Court will weigh in on a Louisiana abortion law that put restrictions on clinics that provide abortions.

Supreme Court Revisits Abortion With Louisiana Case

Oct 04, 2019
At issue is a Louisiana law that mirrors a Texas law the court struck down. What's different, however, is that Justice Anthony Kennedy, who cast the decisive fifth vote in the 2016 case, has retired.
NPR
National
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, seen in March, issued a statement Monday at the United Nations General Assembly stating that abortion is not an international human right.

At U.N., Trump Administration Professes 'No International Right To An Abortion'

Sep 23, 2019
The administration called on other nations to oppose efforts to promote access to abortion. Dozens of other countries signed a competing statement supporting sexual and reproductive health care.
NPR
National
A network of reproductive rights advocates is working to share information about self-induced abortion, both in person and over the Internet.

With Abortion Restrictions On The Rise, Some Women Induce Their Own

Sep 19, 2019
Activists are spreading information about self-induced abortion online and in person. The World Health Organization says a single drug, misoprostol, can be used to safely induce abortion.
NPR
National

U.S. Abortion Rate Continues Long-Term Decline In Most States

Sep 17, 2019
The rate fell again in the most recent Guttmacher Institute survey, continuing a decline since 1980.
NPR
Shots - Health News
A group gathers at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, in May to protest abortion restrictions. In defiance of the state's ban on city funding of abortion providers, the Austin City Council has found a workaround to help women seeking the procedure.

As Texas Cracks Down On Abortion, Austin Votes To Help Women Defray Costs

Sep 17, 2019
The Austin City Council is defying Texas state legislators, setting aside $150,000 in city funds to help local women who seek abortions pay for attendant costs, such as transportation or child care.
NPR
National
Rebecca Gomperts says that the government has seized abortion drugs she has prescribed from overseas to patients in the U.S. The drugs are approved by the FDA to induce abortion under a doctor's direction.

European Doctor Who Prescribes Abortion Pills To U.S. Women Online Sues FDA

Sep 09, 2019
A federal lawsuit seeks to block the Food and Drug Administration from taking enforcement actions against a European doctor or her U.S.-based patients for prescribing or buying abortion pills online.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Abortion opponents in Sacramento, Calif., protest legislation that would require public university campuses in California to provide the pills used in medication abortion.

California Again Considers Making Abortion Pills Available At Public Colleges

Sep 05, 2019
State lawmakers are expected to pass a bill requiring campus health centers to provide pills used for medication abortions. If the measure becomes law, it will be the first of its kind in the U.S.
NPR
National
Abortion protesters attempt to hand out literature as they stand in the driveway of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Indianapolis on Aug. 16.

Planned Parenthood Withdraws From Title X Program Over Trump Abortion Rule

Aug 19, 2019
The organization says it is leaving the federal family planning program because of rule changes that prohibit its grantees from providing or referring most patients for abortion.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Alison Beyea of ACLU of Maine speaks during an abortion-rights rally at Congress Square Park in Portland, Maine, in May. Democrats elected last November have pushed through two laws that expand access to abortion in the state.

Newly Blue, Maine Expands Access To Abortion

Jul 02, 2019
Maine elected a wave of Democratic women to state office in 2018. They've pushed Maine to join a handful of other states shoring up the right to an abortion ahead of expected Supreme Court challenges.
NPR
Law
An abortion-rights supporter argues with an anti-abortion-rights protester in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on May 21 during demonstrations in defense of abortion rights.

Supreme Court Upholds Indiana Provision Mandating Fetal Burial Or Cremation

May 28, 2019
The court did not take up the part of the law that banned abortions because of fetal abnormality or race or sex of the fetus, which a lower court had knocked down in addition to the burial provision.
NPR
Law
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, pictured at an event last month, signed the Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act on Tuesday.

Georgia's Governor Signs 'Fetal Heartbeat' Abortion Law

May 07, 2019
The legislation bans abortions as soon as a heartbeat can be detected, which typically occurs about six weeks into a pregnancy. The controversial law is expected to trigger a lengthy legal battle.
NPR
Book Reviews
Melinda Gates speaks during Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations at PlayStation Theater on Feb. 5 in New York City.

'The Moment Of Lift' Is More Of A Whisper Than A Call To Action

Apr 23, 2019
If Melinda Gates had fully owned her goal — writing a book that would strengthen some readers' abortion-rights convictions and open others' minds — she would have called for greater advocacy.
NPR
Shots - Health News
In the Tennessee capitol, state Rep. Matthew Hill took heat from abortion-rights proponents last month who had gathered to protest a bill he favored that would ban abortions after about six weeks' pregnancy. That legislation was eventually thwarted in th

Republican State Lawmakers Split Over Anti-Abortion Strategy

Apr 12, 2019
Ohio is the latest Republican-led state to pass a ban on abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. But Tennessee this week backed off on a similar bill, fearing costly legal battles. What now?
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Lawsuit Challenges Utah Ban On Abortions After 18 Weeks

Apr 10, 2019
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Abortion rights groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of a new Utah law banning most abortions after 18 weeks of gestation, following through on a vow made when lawmakers considered the measure during this year's legislative se
NPR
Shots - Health News
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says suggestions that a medical abortion can be reversed after more than an hour has passed aren't supported by scientific evidence.

Controversial 'Abortion Reversal' Regimen Is Put To The Test

Mar 22, 2019
Several states require doctors who perform medical abortions to tell their patients the procedure can be "reversed" with progesterone. There's an absence of evidence to support that contention.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Abortion-rights activists gathered for a news conference in New York City Monday to protest the Trump administration's proposed restrictions on family planning providers. The rule would force any medical provider receiving federal assistance to refuse to

Foes Of Trump's Restrictions On Family Planning Clinics See Law On Their Side

Feb 28, 2019
In 1991, the Supreme Court upheld restrictions on family planning providers that are similar to rules proposed by the Trump Administration. But Trump critics say the legal landscape has changed.
NPR
Shots - Health News
At an October news conference, the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus called on President Trump to reverse the administration's moves to limit women's access to birth control. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., spoke at the lectern during the event on Capitol Hil

House Democrats' Focus On Abortion Could Stymie Work With Senate

Jan 22, 2019
Members of the new Democratic majority in the House vow to reverse restrictions that Republicans have imposed on abortions. But the efforts could lead to titanic fights that imperil other legislation.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Demonstrators in favor of and against abortion rights made their beliefs known during a January 2018 protest in Washington, D.C.

Where U.S. Battles Over Abortion Will Play Out In 2019

Jan 08, 2019
Expect more aggressive regulatory action from the Trump administration while skirmishes continue in Congress and statehouses across the U.S. Many of these policies will ultimately land in court.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Dr. Kimberly Remski was told by a potential employer that she couldn't provide abortions during her free time, something she felt called to do. "I realized it was something I really needed to do," she says.

For Doctors Who Want To Provide Abortions, Employment Contracts Often Tie Their Hands

Nov 26, 2018
Some doctors are morally opposed to performing abortions. Others feel it's their calling and give up weekends to work at small clinics that offer them. And that can put their jobs in jeopardy.
NPR
Shots - Health News
Protesters on both sides of the abortion debate demonstrated in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in July concerning Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. It is thought that a challenge to <em>Roe v. Wade</em> could have a chance of passing now that he i

Legal Battle Over Missouri Clinic Could Foretell Abortion Fights In Other States

Oct 19, 2018
Two rules have forced closure of all but one Planned Parenthood center in the state. Abortion-rights supporters say it is an example of an "abortion desert" that could result if Roe is overturned.
NPR
Politics
Abortion opponents see the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court as an opportunity to push for further abortion restrictions. Abortion supporters are preparing for a fight.

With Kavanaugh Confirmed, Both Sides Of Abortion Debate Gear Up For Battle

Oct 10, 2018
With a new Supreme Court, Planned Parenthood is planning for a more difficult legal landscape for abortion rights. Abortion rights opponents see an opportunity they haven't had in decades.
NPR
Health
Dr. Leana Wen, health commissioner for the Baltimore City Health Department, talks about the effectiveness of contraception for public school students in 2015. Wen will be the new head of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Planned Parenthood Chooses Baltimore's Health Commissioner As Its Next President

Sep 12, 2018
Leana Wen was an ER physician before she became the city's health commissioner. In her new role, she will be the first doctor in nearly 50 years to lead Planned Parenthood.
NPR
Politics
A protester is led away by police after disrupting the second day of the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill.

The Resistance At The Kavanaugh Hearings: More Than 200 Arrests

Sep 08, 2018
Opponents of Kavanaugh's nomination don't have the votes to derail his confirmation, but protesters voiced their concerns at his hearing about a conservative majority's impact on the Supreme Court.
NPR
Politics
Activists from NARAL Pro-Choice America stand outside the office of GOP Sen. Dean Heller in Reno, Nev. Heller is facing a tough re-election bid in a state that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and activists on the left are putting pressure on him to op

Kavanaugh Fight Puts Vulnerable Senators In A Tight Spot

Aug 15, 2018
The president's Supreme Court pick meets Wednesday with Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly and Heidi Heitkamp, who are both up for re-election in red states while under intense pressure from activists.

Pages

PRXNPRAPMBBCPRI INN