Abortion rights

Physicians say roughly half of all preterm births are preventable, caused by social, economic and environmental factors, as well as inadequate access to prenatal health care.

The U.S. has a high rate of preterm births, and abortion bans could make that worse

5:00am March 15, 2023

by Sarah Varney

The rates of premature birth in the U.S. are high, especially in certain states. Experts worry that states restricting abortion have fewer maternal care providers than those with abortion access.

Abortion-rights supporters rally at the Texas State Capitol on Sept. 11, 2021 in Austin, Texas.

National

Texas man sues ex-wife's friends for allegedly helping her get abortion pills

3:13pm March 11, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by a Galveston County man accuses three women of helping his ex-wife obtain abortion pills used to terminate her pregnancy last year.

Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, speaks near the Texas Capitol in Austin during an event to announce that her group is suing the state on behalf of five women and two doctors.

5 Texas women denied abortions sue the state, saying the bans put them in danger

4:34pm March 07, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

The lawsuit filed on behalf of five patients who said their lives were put at risk and two physicians asks a state judge to clarify exceptions for medical emergencies under Texas law.

Walgreens announced last week that it'd stop selling mifepristone, a popular abortion pill, in red states. California Gov. Gavin Newsom says his state will cut ties with the pharmacy giant after the move.

California will cut ties with Walgreens over the company's plan to drop abortion pills

3:43pm March 07, 2023

by Emily Olson

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the state would halt business with Walgreens after the pharmacy giant agreed to stop distributing mifepristone in some red states amid legal pressure.

Lauren Miller, of Dallas, Texas, says that her state's abortion laws added to the stress and turmoil her family faced after one of her twins was diagnosed with a fatal condition in utero.

Health & Safety

3 abortion bans in Texas leave doctors 'talking in code' to pregnant patients

7:22am March 01, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Some doctors in Texas are so worried about the abortion bans, they hint to patients with pregnancy complications, "I've heard traveling to Colorado is really nice this time of year."

Queue Listen Now

Lauren Miller at her home in Dallas, in January 2023. When she was 15 weeks pregnant, she traveled to Colorado to have a "selective reduction" abortion, after one of her twins was diagnosed with a fatal condition.

Health & Safety

To safeguard healthy twin in utero, she had to 'escape' Texas for abortion procedure

8:48pm February 28, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

When Lauren Miller found out one of her twins had a fatal condition, she discovered her doctors in Texas would only say: You need to leave the state. She went to Colorado for a selective reduction.

Queue Listen Now

Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000 to induce first-trimester abortions in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.

Democratic state attorneys general sue Biden administration over abortion pill rules

5:53pm February 24, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

The suit comes as a federal judge in another case is considering whether to overturn FDA approval of the same drug, mifepristone.

Misoprostol is currently approved by the FDA for use as an ulcer drug, not as a standalone abortion pill. Doctors already use it off-label for a variety of gynecological purposes beyond abortion, including for IUD insertion and for labor and delivery.

Why an ulcer drug could be the last option for many abortion patients

3:10pm February 24, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

Some abortion providers are looking to misoprostol, a medication widely used around the world, should a federal judge in Texas block access to a key medication abortion option.

Queue Listen Now

Protester outside the Kentucky Supreme Court chambers rally in favor of abortion rights as the Kentucky Supreme Court hears arguments whether to temporarily pause the state's abortion ban in Frankfort, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022.

Kentucky high court upholds state abortion bans while case continues

6:45pm February 16, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

The state Supreme Court kept two state bans in place after Kentucky voters signaled support for abortion rights at the ballot box last November.

True or False? The number of abortions in the U.S. has declined since the 1980s.

Health & Safety

Many Americans don't know basic abortion facts. Test your knowledge

5:00am January 26, 2023

An NPR/Ipsos poll found widespread confusion on some basic facts about abortion and pregnancy. Can you answer the same questions correctly?