NEWS
Stay current with the latest news in Social Justice
‘It’s a Crisis’: Criminalizing Medication Abortion Is Already Creating Problems in Louisiana
In October, Louisiana became the first state to classify mifepristone and misoprostol as “controlled, dangerous substances.” Susan Buttenwieser Dec 13, 2024, 9:10am Abortion, including medication abortion, has been completely banned in Louisiana except under very limited circumstances since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. But anti-abortion lawmakers took things one step further: On…
Native American patients are sent to collections for debts the government owes
Tribal leaders, health officials, and a new federal report say patients are routinely billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the Indian Health Service, financial middlemen, hospitals, and clinics. by Katheryn Houghton, KFF Health News and Arielle Zionts 12.16.2024 Tescha Hawley learned that hospital bills from her son’s birth had been sent to debt collectors…
Texas sues New York doctor for telemedicine prescription of abortion pills
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a New York doctor who allegedly provided abortion pills to a pregnant woman in Collin County, Texas. Dec. 13, 2024, 7:36 PM CST By Zoë Richards Texas sued a New York physician for prescribing a woman abortion pills, according to a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the lawsuit, filed Thursday…
Oregon clinics see rise in long-term birth control demand
By Meira Gebel, Tina Reed Dec 3, 2024 Several Oregon clinics and hospital systems are seeing a flood of patients seeking long-term birth control — such as IUD replacements, backup contraception and abortion pills — before a new Trump administration takes office. Why it matters: Protections for abortion and gender-affirming care are enshrined in Oregon law, but officials warn the state is…
Michigan Democrats move to protect reproductive health data before GOP takes control of House in 2025
Updated on: December 6, 2024 / 7:59 AM EST / AP Michigan Democrats are pushing this month to pass legislation they say will improve reproductive health care, in particular the safety of digital health data, ahead of Republicans taking over the state House in 2025. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is backing a bill designed to protect…
New Colorado Medicaid program covers children and pregnant women, no matter immigration status
By Anna Alejo December 6, 2024 / 7:14 PM MST / CBS Colorado Starting January 1, 2025, a new law will help children and expecting moms get health coverage – no matter their immigration status. The program called “Cover All Coloradans” makes state Medicaid available for prenatal and postpartum care and covers physical, dental, vision and mental…
Hegseth and Collins’ push for cutting veterans’ health benefits alarms service members and veterans groups
By Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN Updated 2:48 PM EST, Sat December 7, 2024 “Get Pete Hegseth on the phone!” It was March 2018, and then-President Donald Trump was meeting with his Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Dr. David Shulkin, about how to reform veteran health care. But it was Hegseth, then a Fox News personality, whose…
Rural providers, advocates push Texas Legislature to “rescue” maternal health care system
By ELEANOR KLIBANOFF/The Texas Tribune Updated 2:29 PM CST, December 3, 2024 Twenty five years ago, the Texas Legislature passed a sweeping set of reforms to resuscitate the state’s collapsing rural health care system. Now, health care providers, advocates and local leaders are proposing similarly aggressive action to pull the rural maternity care system back from…
A new Mass. high school is catering specifically to LGBTQ+ students. Here’s what to know.
“There are many schools across the country that are welcoming to the LGBTQIA community, but they don’t solely focus on the needs and the wants of the community,” said J.S. Bryant School co-founder Allison Druin. By Abby Patkin December 3, 2024 When the J.S. Bryant School opens its doors next fall, dozens of LGBTQ+ teens will find a…