Abortion rights roundup: July 14, 2023

This series is a weekly roundup of abortion news, covering various statewide laws and bans, those who stand up to them, and the ongoing push by anti-abortion conservatives to restrict abortion care and erase bodily autonomy. 

The American abortion landscape is rapidly changing, and states where a pregnant person can obtain a safe and legal abortion are becoming fewer and fewer.

This week, Iowa changed the period after which abortion is banned from 20 weeks into a pregnancy to six weeks. And by Aug. 1., Indiana will have gone from legal abortion care up to 20 weeks to a near-total ban.

Iowa’s anti-abortion Republicans do what they’re allowed to do, not what’s right to do.

In a late-night vote by Iowa’s state legislature Tuesday, Republican lawmakers passed a six-week abortion ban in the state. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who called a special session last week to vote on the ban, indicated that she would sign the bill into law on Friday.

“The Iowa Supreme Court questioned whether this legislature would pass the same law they did in 2018, and today they have a clear answer,” Reynolds said in a statement. “The voices of Iowans and their democratically elected representatives cannot be ignored any longer, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed.”

The Iowa ban will allow for abortions up until 20 weeks into a pregnancy if the pregnant person is facing a medical emergency, such as miscarriages, when the life of a pregnant person is in danger, or in cases when a fetal abnormality would lead to death.

The ban also allows for abortions in the case of a miscarriage, but only if there is no fetal cardiac activity; a pregnant person experiencing a miscarriage can develop sepsis without abortion care, as has happened in the cases of several women in states with restrictive abortion bans.

“This is absolutely an offense to women. This is an offense to everybody. And it is offensive that you’re going to go celebrate the oppression of women at a church. You’re going to go celebrate the oppression of women at a church, but the church wasn’t there when she’s going to cut food assistance from the federal government to people, where were you then?” Felicia Hilton of Des Moines said in testimony before lawmakers meeting at the Iowa Capitol.

On Wednesday morning, the ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States, and the Emma Goldman Clinic filed a challenge requesting the law be put on hold. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, just before Reynolds is expected to sign the bill at the Family Leadership Summit, with all the Republican candidates in attendance.

Indiana’s Planned Parenthood clinics are booked until the state’s likely near-total abortion ban goes into effect.

On June 30, the Indiana Supreme Court announced it would vacate an injunction on the state’s restrictive abortion ban, allowing it to take effect when certified, which will reportedly take place on Aug. 1.

Indiana Public Media reports that the ban will impact people who travel to Indiana from bordering states such as Kentucky that have total bans in place.

IPM reported that Alison Dreith, director of strategic partnerships at Midwest Access Coalition, a practical support group that helps fund abortion care for those who need it, said, “Obviously, the Indiana ruling … is not only devastating for Indiana, but for surrounding states – particularly folks living in the South who have made Indiana, of all places, a destination to receive abortion care.”

Nebraska mother pleads guilty to helping her teenage daughter obtain abortion medication.

On July 7, Jessica Burgess, 42, pleaded guilty to violating Nebraska’s 20-week abortion ban. Burgess had been accused of giving her 17-year-old daughter, Celeste, abortion medication when she was about 29 weeks pregnant. The teen gave birth to a stillborn fetus, which she and her mother burned and then buried.

The teen was also charged and pleaded guilty in May. Both she and her mother now face two years behind bars.

Police were tipped off via Facebook messages that were provided by Meta after the social media company was served with a police warrant.

Jessica is set to be sentenced on Sept. 22, and Celeste, who is now 18, will be sentenced as an adult on July 20.

A small victory in Wisconsin after a judge allows abortion rights groups to move their lawsuit forward.

The New York Times reported that by issuing a preliminary ruling on July 7, Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper showed support for a lawsuit brought by Iowa Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul that argues access to abortion care should be restored in the state and doctors should not be criminalized for terminating a pregnancy.

Wisconsin’s abortion law, which was enacted in 1849, is a near-total ban on abortion, even in cases of rape or incest.

“Today’s ruling is a major victory in our fight to restore reproductive freedom in Wisconsin. While this ruling does not resolve the case and won’t be the final word in this litigation, the court’s thorough decision makes clear that Wis. Stat. 940.04(1) should not be interpreted to criminalize consensual abortions,” Kaul said in a press release.

Powerhouse former Planned Parenthood leader named president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation.

On Thursday, the National Abortion Federation’s board of directors announced that Brittany Fonteno will be the next president and CEO of the organization. Fonteno will start in September.

Fonteno joins NAF after serving as president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona. She will also be the first Black CEO of the organization.

In a statement sent to the American Independent Foundation, Lore Chaiten, the chair of the board, said:

We are thrilled to announce that Brittany Fonteno will be joining NAF as the organization’s new President and CEO. In her time as President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona, Brittany demonstrated a deep commitment to abortion providers in her state, working to expand access to abortion care, including medication abortion, in the face of extremists’ challenges and seeking to advance equitable access to abortion care, particularly for those in marginalized communities who are disproportionately affected by harmful restrictions. She brings more than 15 years of experience working across the reproductive health and advocacy landscape.

Monumentally good news!

On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved, for the first time ever, an over-the-counter contraceptive pill.

A press release from the FDA says that the daily oral contractive, Opill (norgestrel), will be sold without a prescription and will be available online and in drug and grocery stores.

Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in the statement: “Today’s approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States. When used as directed, daily oral contraception is safe and is expected to be more effective than currently available nonprescription contraceptive methods in preventing unintended pregnancy.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.