U.S. Supreme Court
In response to Dobbs, abortion-rights activists turn to state constitutions
On June 24, the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it couldn't find protections in the federal Constitution of a woman's right to abortion — in the process overturning nearly a half-century of decided law. Now abortion-rights activists are turning to state courts and arguing that those protections exist in state constitutions. And at least temporarily, they're having some success.
Overturning Roe sends approval of U.S. Supreme Court plummeting, Marquette poll finds
On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that overturned a national right to abortion, public approval of the Court has fallen dramatically and stayed there, a new national poll from Marquette Law School finds. In the new survey, 40% of respondents said they approved of how the Court was doing its job while […]
State constitutions have played second fiddle since the Civil War. Justice DeWine says that’s bad
In a speech last Tuesday, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine said that since the Civil War, state constitutions “too often” have become “secondary.” In the same speech, he highlighted that due-process protections in the Ohio Constitution are different from those in the federal 14th Amendment, which was passed in the wake of the Civil […]
When does life begin? As state laws define it, science, politics, and religion clash
This article originally appeared in Kaiser Health news. As life-preserving medical technology advanced in the second half of the 20th century, doctors and families were faced with a thorny decision, one with weighty legal and moral implications: How should we define when life ends? Cardiopulmonary bypass machines could keep the blood pumping and ventilators could […]
U.S. Senate Republicans shy away from proposed 15-week national abortion ban
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans are skeptical about a 15-week nationwide abortion ban that GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced Tuesday, with some saying they want to leave the issue to state lawmakers instead of taking it up in Congress. “I think most of the members of my conference prefer that this be dealt with at […]
Supreme Court to revisit LGBT rights – this time with a wedding website designer, not a baker
A simmering, difficult, and timely question returns to the U.S. Supreme Court this fall: What happens when freedom of speech and civil rights collide? The court took up similar questions four years ago in the famous “gay wedding cake” case, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, about a baker who refused to provide […]
Ohio sees surge in women registering to vote after abortion access restricted
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe and Ohio enacted abortion […]
Jewish congregations mount legal challenges to state abortion bans
WASHINGTON — Thousands of years of Jewish scripture make it clear that access to abortion care is a requirement of Jewish law and practice, according to Rabbi Karen Bogard. “We preserve life at all costs,” she said in an interview with States Newsroom. “But there is a difference between that which is living, and that […]
Federal judge sides with Texas, blocks HHS guidance on emergency abortions
WASHINGTON — A federal district judge has granted the Texas attorney general’s request to temporarily block guidance from the federal government that says federal law protects health care providers who perform abortions to save the life or health of pregnant patients in emergency situations. Judge James Wesley Hendrix wrote the U.S. Department of Health and […]
Abortion should be a kitchen table conversation
My mom began dating an obstetrician-gynecologist when I was in high school. While she always spoke openly about reproductive health care with me, our kitchen table conversations quickly turned into question and answer sessions with her new partner. When asked about his day, he described the differences in birth control methods, new technology for hysterectomies, […]
Patients and doctors trapped in a gray zone when abortion laws and emergency care mandate conflict
This story first appeared in Kaiser Health News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. Each week, Dr. Kim Puterbaugh sees several pregnant patients at a Cleveland hospital who are experiencing complications involving bleeding or infection. The OB-GYN has to make quick decisions about how to treat them, including whether to remove the […]
Biden to sign order on out-of-state abortion access
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aiming to help pregnant patients cover the cost of travel to access abortion health care. The executive order does not protect access to abortion, which was overturned in late June by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court when it struck down the constitutional right […]