Abortion rights

The court did not take up the part of the law that banned abortions because of fetal abnormality or race or sex of the fetus, which a lower court had knocked down in addition to the burial provision.

The legislation bans abortions as soon as a heartbeat can be detected, which typically occurs about six weeks into a pregnancy. The controversial law is expected to trigger a lengthy legal battle.

If Melinda Gates had fully owned her goal — writing a book that would strengthen some readers' abortion-rights convictions and open others' minds — she would have called for greater advocacy.

Ohio is the latest Republican-led state to pass a ban on abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. But Tennessee this week backed off on a similar bill, fearing costly legal battles. What now?

Several states require doctors who perform medical abortions to tell their patients the procedure can be "reversed" with progesterone. There's an absence of evidence to support that contention.

In 1991, the Supreme Court upheld restrictions on family planning providers that are similar to rules proposed by the Trump Administration. But Trump critics say the legal landscape has changed.

Members of the new Democratic majority in the House vow to reverse restrictions that Republicans have imposed on abortions. But the efforts could lead to titanic fights that imperil other legislation.

Expect more aggressive regulatory action from the Trump administration while skirmishes continue in Congress and statehouses across the U.S. Many of these policies will ultimately land in court.

Some doctors are morally opposed to performing abortions. Others feel it's their calling and give up weekends to work at small clinics that offer them. And that can put their jobs in jeopardy.

Two rules have forced closure of all but one Planned Parenthood center in the state. Abortion-rights supporters say it is an example of an "abortion desert" that could result if Roe is overturned.

With a new Supreme Court, Planned Parenthood is planning for a more difficult legal landscape for abortion rights. Abortion rights opponents see an opportunity they haven't had in decades.

Leana Wen was an ER physician before she became the city's health commissioner. In her new role, she will be the first doctor in nearly 50 years to lead Planned Parenthood.