Reproductive Rights

The Toll Of An Abortion Ban

The Toll Of An Abortion Ban

Last night on 60 Minutes, the long running news program aired a segment about the grim ramifications of being in a state with a near-total abortion ban. The story, which included the dire warnings of doctors in the state, aired just days after reporting from ProPublica described how two pregnant

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
New Documentary Profiles Texas Abortion Plaintiffs

New Documentary Profiles Texas Abortion Plaintiffs

As Election Day gets closer and closer, audiences in Texas and around the country have been raving about a documentary that puts a human face on abortion bans, and the men and women working every day to try and reverse them. Zurawski v Texas, from independent filmmakers Maisie Crow and

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Overcoming Barriers For Black Women And Abortion Care

Overcoming Barriers For Black Women And Abortion Care

It has been over three years since Texas has been under what is essentially an entire abortion ban when Senate Bill 8 was enacted on September 1, 2021 (months before Roe v. Wade was overturned). Many reproductive rights organizations warned that the consequences would be dire: overall healthcare would be

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Texas Women Denied Abortions To Treat Ectopic Pregnancies

Texas Women Denied Abortions To Treat Ectopic Pregnancies

On Monday, the Center for Reproductive Rights announced they were filing federal complaints with the Biden Administration on behalf of two women who were denied treatment for ectopic pregnancies in Texas. The two women allege they were denied abortion care, the only treatment for an ectopic pregnancy, and because of

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Why Contraception For Teens Matters

Why Contraception For Teens Matters

Last month, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he was once again suing the Biden administration. This latest lawsuit concerns a program known as Title X that offers family-planning services for low-income Americans, including contraception for teenagers.  The Title X program that offers free contraception for teenagers was previously targeted by

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Billboards Highlight Consequences Of Texas Abortion Ban

Billboards Highlight Consequences Of Texas Abortion Ban

On Monday, August 5 Texans in the greater San Antonio area will start seeing four large billboards with a shocking message: “Everything’s bigger in Texas: including our infant mortality rate.” The infant mortality rate in Texas has indeed increased since the near-total abortion ban Senate Bill 8 went into

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Trump Abortion Bans And The Race In Texas

Trump Abortion Bans And The Race In Texas

On Monday, a six-week abortion ban went into effect in Iowa. The Midwest state is now the 22nd to enact some form of an abortion ban since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Following the newest state abortion ban, the Democratic National Committee convened a press call to discuss

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
J.D. Vance: Anti-Abortion Acolyte

J.D. Vance: Anti-Abortion Acolyte

On Wednesday, the Republican National Convention formally introduced its Vice-Presidential nominee J.D. Vance. The Ohio Senator is a 39-year-old former venture capitalist who rose to prominence thanks to his memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which offered a harshly critical lens on his upbringing.    A one-time critic of Trump, Vance changed his

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Confronting The Reality Of Anti-Abortion Centers

Confronting The Reality Of Anti-Abortion Centers

At twenty, Maleeha found herself with an unplanned pregnancy. She had come to America just a year before and was a college student in north Texas. Maleeha had been on birth control and didn’t think it was possible for her to be pregnant. After eight pregnancy tests, though, she

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Supreme Court Tosses Abortion Medication Challenge

Supreme Court Tosses Abortion Medication Challenge

Earlier today the Supreme Court, in an unanimous decision authored by Brett Kavanaugh, tossed a lawsuit that was seeking to revoke the FDA approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in a medication abortion. Kavanaugh’s opinion made it clear that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, a conservative medical

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Threats To IVF In Texas

Threats To IVF In Texas

Ever since a surprise ruling in Alabama, advocates for IVF have been apprehensive that the procedure could be threatened in states like Texas, which is under essentially a total abortion ban. Though many Republicans lawmakers in Texas are downplaying any threats to IVF in the state, there are warning signs

By Jessica Montoya Coggins
Texas Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Abortion Ban

Texas Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Abortion Ban

On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court finally issued a ruling in a widely anticipated case concerning the state’s strict abortion laws. In a unanimous decision, the Court declined to uphold a challenge brought forth by several plaintiffs that were seeking to clarify the medical exemptions to the abortion ban

By Jessica Montoya Coggins