Abortion rights

Packages of mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic on April 13, 2023 in Rockville, Md.

Politics & Government

Why anti-abortion advocates are reviving a 19th century sexual purity law

4:11pm April 10, 2024

by Danielle Kurtzleben

The Comstock Act is the latest front in the fight over reproductive rights. Here's what you need to know about the 1873 law and the consequences if it's enforced the way some conservatives would like.

President Joe Biden hugs Steven Hadfield, who introduced him, during an event on prescription drug costs, in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, in Washington.

Politics & Government

Here are some of the guests who represent the themes of tonight's State of the Union

7:57am March 07, 2024

by NPR Staff

The guest list includes a woman whose sister was killed in the Uvalde shooting, the United Auto Workers president, and a naval officer who helped protect ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

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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Nicole Sidman talks with prospective voter Rebekah Rubenstein on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C., ahead of Super Tuesday.

Politics & Government

On Super Tuesday, abortion is driving Democrats to the polls in North Carolina

11:21am March 05, 2024

The Biden campaign says it sees a chance to win North Carolina in November. In the primary campaign, Democratic voters say new restrictions on abortion are motivating them to get to the polls.

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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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A view of the Montana State Capitol on May 3, 2023, in Helena, Montana.

Montana judge declares 3 laws restricting abortion unconstitutional

7:16pm February 29, 2024

by Shaylee Ragar

The decision cited a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling that said the state Constitution's right to privacy includes a woman's right to abortion access.

Janice Jernigans, 75, of St. Louis' Hyde Park neighborhood, signs a petition for a Missouri constitutional amendment that would legalize abortion up until fetal viability on Feb. 6 at The Pageant in St. Louis.

Missouri advocates gather signatures for abortion legalization, but GOP hurdle looms

12:20pm February 28, 2024

by Jason Rosenbaum

Missouri has one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S. Abortion rights supporters have until May to gather over 171,000 signatures to have the issue appear before voters this fall.

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Republican Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, Feb. 24. Lake has softened her stance on abortion as the campaign season moves forward.

In Arizona, abortion politics are already playing out on the Senate campaign trail

11:48am February 28, 2024

by Ben Giles

Abortion proved to be a major issue in the 2022 midterms and again in 2023. This year, the presidential race puts extra attention on the ballot. In Arizona, that means the issue is front and center.

ProLife Across America, a national nonprofit, has placed multiple anti-abortion billboards in Rapid City, South Dakota.

What counts as an exception to South Dakota's abortion ban? A video may soon explain

5:00am February 27, 2024

by Arielle Zionts

South Dakota allows doctors to terminate a pregnancy only if a patient's life is in jeopardy. Lawmakers say a government-created video would clarify what that exception actually means.

An illustration of the blastocyst stage of embryo development at about five to nine days after fertilization. The outer layer will grow to form the placenta. The inner cells will become the fetus.

The science of IVF: What to know about Alabama's 'extrauterine children' ruling

4:42pm February 23, 2024

by Maria Godoy

Why are so many frozen embryos created? And how is the Alabama Supreme Court ruling likely to affect IVF in the future? Here's what you need to know.