Obama Administration: Health Care Plans Must Cover Abortion-Causing Drugs

by Eleanore Strong | Aug 1, 2011 | Issues, News, News & Opinion, State Abortion Policy

The Obama administration announced Aug. 1 that insurance plans must cover without cost to women contraceptives that can cause abortions. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said last year’s controversial health-care...

Indiana Asks Federal Appeals Court to Lift Order Blocking Planned Parenthood Defunding

by Eleanore Strong | Aug 1, 2011 | Issues, News, News & Opinion, State Abortion Policy

Indiana has asked a federal appeals court to lift a judge’s order blocking parts of a new law that cuts some public Planned Parenthood funding. In a brief filed Monday, Indiana says the issue should be decided by Medicaid officials and not the courts. Gov. Mitch...

Florida Governor Rick Scott Signs Four Pro-Life Bills into Law

by Eleanore Strong | Jul 30, 2011 | Issues, News, News & Opinion, State Abortion Policy, Ultrasound

Today, at a ceremonial bill-signing at the governor’s mansion, Florida governor Rick Scott signed four pro-life bills into law. The bills included House Bill 97, which strips abortion coverage from health insurance exchanges created through the Affordable Care...

Ultrasound and Waiting Period to Become Law in North Carolina After Veto Override

by Eleanore Strong | Jul 29, 2011 | Issues, News, News & Opinion, Ultrasound

New requirements for women seeking an abortion will soon be in place after Republican state lawmakers successfully defeated a veto issued by Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. The Senate voted 29-19 in favor of the legislation, which would require women to wait at least 24...

Abortions Plummet for 4th Straight Year in Minn.; Apparent All-Time Low

by Eleanore Strong | Jul 28, 2011 | Issues, News, News & Opinion, State Abortion Policy

The number of abortions has declined for the fourth consecutive year in Minnesota, hitting what may be an all-time low. Physicians performed 11,505 abortions in 2010, down 7 percent from a year earlier, the Minnesota Department of Health reported. Health officials say...

Five States Enact Late-Term Abortion Bans

by Eleanore Strong | Jul 22, 2011 | Issues, News, News & Opinion, State Abortion Policy

Inspired by a Nebraska law, pro-life advocates in five other states have won passage of measures banning virtually all abortions after five months of pregnancy. The late-term bans are based on the premise that fetuses at that stage can feel pain. Kansas is one of the...