abortion news stories on Newser

No. of Pro-Choice Americans Hits Record Low

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:36:24 CDT

The number of Americans who identify themselves as pro-choice fell precipitously this year, dropping to an all-time Gallup low of 41%, according to a new poll . On the flip side, 50% said they were pro-life. When Gallup first started asking the question back in 1995, the numbers were dramatically different,...

Kate Beckinsale: I Want GOP in My ...

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:57:45 CDT

What’s this about the Republicans waging a War on Women? Some women actually want nothing more than for the GOP to get all up in their business, argues Kate Beckinsale in a new Funny or Die video that is quite liberal in its use of the word “vagina.” Beckinsale, joined...

Arizona Bans Funding to Planned Parenthood

Sat, 05 May 2012 05:26:37 CDT

Gov. Jan Brewer yesterday signed into law a bill to cut off Planned Parenthood's access to taxpayer money funneled through the state for non-abortion services. Arizona already bars use of public money for abortions except to save the life of the mother. But anti-abortion legislators and other supporters of the...

Judge: No Blocking Funds for Planned Parenthood

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:05:00 CDT

A federal judge today stopped Texas from preventing a health organization affiliated with abortion providers from receiving state funds. The state immediately appealed. US District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin ruled there is sufficient evidence that a law banning Planned Parenthood from the state's Women's Health Program is unconstitutional. He...

Mississippi May Close Only Abortion Clinic

Matt Cantor — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:36:05 CDT

Mississippi has just one abortion clinic, and a bill that's passed the state legislature would likely close it. All it needs now is a governor's signature, and Phil Bryant has said he'll provide it. Under the bill, doctors performing abortions in an "abortion facility" would have to have local hospital...

Poverty Groups With Gay Ties Lose Catholic Funding

Kevin Spak — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:05:05 CDT

For years, Compañeros, a small nonprofit that helps Hispanic immigrants in Colorado, has relied on thousands in funding from the Catholic Church's Campaign for Human Development. But now the Campaign is considering yanking that money, after noticing that Compañeros is a member of an immigrant rights coalition that had ties...

Oklahoma Abortion Law Struck Down

Rob Quinn — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:39:00 CDT

An Oklahoma judge has struck down a state law requiring women seeking abortions to have ultrasounds. The district judge decided the law—which required doctors to put an image of the ultrasound in front of the woman and give her a detailed description of the fetus—was unconstitutional because it...

'Fetal Pain' Law Advances in Georgia

John Johnson — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:58:28 CDT

Georgia is a step closer to becoming the latest state to restrict abortions based on the principle of "fetal pain." The measure would outlaw nearly all abortions after 20 weeks, which is when the bill's supporters say the fetus can feel pain, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Opponents say there's no...

Bill Would Make Tennessee Name Abortion Doctors

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:10:22 CDT

A bill under consideration in Tennessee would reveal the names of doctors who perform abortions, and could even inadvertently identify women who undergo the procedure, activists worry. Abortion providers currently have to record information about each patient, which the state's Department of Health collects. The Life Defense Act of 2012...