Abortion policy

The medical community dates pregnancy to the first day of a woman's last period, even though fertilization generally happens two weeks after that. It's a long-standing practice but a confusing one.

Why is a 6-week abortion ban nearly a total ban? It's about how we date a pregnancy

9:49am May 01, 2024

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

The time a person has to decide whether to have an abortion in Florida and other states with six-week abortion bans is at most two weeks. Why? It's has to do with how we date early pregnancy.

We, The Voters — The Left. The Right. The Disillusioned.

6:55am April 15, 2024

We, The Voters — The Left. The Right. The Disillusioned is a special series from NPR exploring the issues most important to you when choosing your next leader.

Amanda Zurawski, a guest to the State of the Union of Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., speaks during a news conference held by members of the Pro-Choice Caucus and Democratic Women's Caucus at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.

Politics & Government

Alluding to Trump, Biden calls out Republicans 'bragging' about abortion bans

9:57pm March 07, 2024

by Sarah McCammon

In a likely foreshadowing of Democrats' messaging this fall, President Biden called out those who enabled the overturning of Roe v. Wade and asked voters to give him a Democratic Congress.

Abortion access advocates are chanting and waiving signs outside the Florida Supreme Court. Inside, justices have just heard arguments on the ballot language for a proposed state constitutional amendment that would protect abortion access up to the point of viability.

How states giving rights to fetuses could set up a national case on abortion

4:29pm March 05, 2024

by Regan McCarthy

Fetal personhood made headlines recently when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are "extrauterine children." The ruling raised questions across the country about fetal personhood.

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French lawmakers applaud after National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet announced the result of the vote during a joint session of parliament in the Palace of Versailles, southwestern of Paris, on Monday, to anchor the right to abortion in the country's constitution.

World News

France makes history by enshrining abortion rights in its constitution

2:57pm March 04, 2024

by Eleanor Beardsley

French lawmakers passed a bill to enshrine the right to an abortion in the constitution, a historic move prompted by concerns over the rollback of abortion laws in the U.S.

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Over two dozen abortion-rights supporters attend a rally outside the South Carolina State House in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 23, 2023. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled to uphold a law banning most abortions except those in the earliest weeks of pregnancy.

'Something needs to change.' Woman denied abortion in South Carolina challenges ban

4:43pm February 20, 2024

by Victoria Hansen

The state law has been interpreted as banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Planned Parenthood argues the ban is vague and shouldn't apply until at least three weeks later in pregnancy.

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The Supreme Court will hear the case against the abortion pill mifepristone on March 26. It's part of a two-drug regimen with misoprostol for abortions in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Research at the heart of a federal case against the abortion pill has been retracted

5:01am February 09, 2024

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

A research paper that raises questions about the safety of abortion has been retracted. The research is cited in a federal judge's ruling about the abortion pill mifepristone.

The scene at the U.S. Supreme Court on the day it overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Researchers estimate that 64,565 rape-caused pregnancies have occurred in states that banned abortion since then.

Raped, pregnant and in an abortion ban state? Researchers gauge how often it happens

4:36pm January 24, 2024

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Researchers estimate nearly 65,000 rape-caused pregnancies have happened in states with abortion bans in effect since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The report is in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Former U.S.President Donald Trump speaks during the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses at Horizon Events Center in West Des Moines, Iowa.

What would a second Trump presidency look like for health care?

12:15pm January 16, 2024

by Julie Rovner

The former president is reviving campaign promises to undo Obamacare, an idea that fizzled during his first time in office. Based on his record, here's what else he might do in health policy.