NC Gov. Josh Stein signs order to protect reproductive rights, abortions
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order aimed at protecting reproductive health care in the state, ensuring access to abortion services for residents and people from surrounding states. The order, signed Thursday, Jan. 16, prevents state agencies from participating in legal actions against healthcare providers who offer abortions or other reproductive health services.
In addition, the executive order protects the privacy of medical records, including those of women seeking care and doctors providing it.
“Whether they are storing them safely and whether we even need to retain them in the first place,” Stein said, addressing the importance of safeguarding personal health information under the order.
The executive order is part of Stein’s broader commitment to reproductive freedom in North Carolina. The state remains one of the few states in the region not restricting abortion access to six weeks of pregnancy.
Current state law allows abortions up to 12 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.
Stein has tasked the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services with providing education to women about their reproductive rights. That also includes access to safe, legal health care and birth control.
“Take appropriate and feasible measures to ensure that women here in North Carolina have reliable access to safe, legal reproductive health care medications and birth control,” Stein told the department.
In response to concerns over reproductive rights, Stein joins a growing number of Democratic governors who are safeguarding abortion access in their states. Governors in New Jersey and Oregon have already begun stockpiling abortion pills, citing concerns over potential changes under a new presidential administration.
Stein’s action also comes ahead of a second term for President-elect Donald Trump. Trump has previously stated that abortion policy should be left to the states, rather than imposing a national ban.
The executive order reflects North Carolina’s continued role as an access point for reproductive health care, both for its residents and those from states with more restrictive laws.
CDC says abortions decreased in 2022, but research reveals the opposite
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its first major report on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Researchers found the number of abortions dropped 2% in 2022, making it not much different from the years before. Preliminary data shows abortions actually went up in 2023.
The CDC found U.S. providers performed more than 613,000 abortions in 2022, only slightly down from the nearly 626,000 abortions performed in 2021. But in 2023, more than a million abortions were recorded in the U.S., according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute. It’s the highest number the research and policy organization has recorded in a decade.
There are some caveats to this data. The CDC’s report offers an incomplete look at abortion in the United States because not every state reports abortion data to the CDC. The Guttmacher Institute does include all 50 states in its report.
Overall, though, reports show the vast majority of abortions took place before nine weeks of pregnancy.
Research also shows that expanded access to the abortion pill has played a big role in these numbers. A pandemic-era change made by the Food and Drug Administration allowed for the pills to be dispensed via telemedicine. In the wake of the ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, eight states passed laws protecting providers from being sued for prescribing abortion pills virtually to people from other states.
Despite the overall national picture, however, both the CDC and the Guttmacher Institute found abortion rates dramatically declined in states that enacted near-total bans after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Meanwhile, states that have become known as “abortion havens” have seen numbers rise significantly.
US requests for abortion pill access surge at Canadian nonprofit
A Canadian nonprofit that helps women get the abortion pill in countries with restrictions said it has seen a major surge in requests from the United States following the presidential election. Women on Web said it had 35 requests per day coming from the United States before the election. In the days after, it received four times the amount, totaling 145 per day.
The group’s executive director said most of the inquiries came from women who were not pregnant, but wanted the drug in case abortions are harder to access in the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
While Women on Web does not provide direct access to the pill, it connects women to doctors and pharmacies that can prescribe and give the drug.
Providing abortion pills before someone is pregnant is a practice called advance provision, which reduces delays in getting the medication in places where women face barriers.
Obstetrics and gynecology doctor Daniel Grossman told The Canadian Press it’s a very common FDA-approved practice but emphasized patients need to get follow-up medical care within 14 days of taking the pill.
Shield laws can legally protect providers who mail pills to states where they are banned. However, according to legal analysts, the cases can still be challenged in court.
Anti-abortion group Students for Life Action recently urged Trump to outlaw telehealth for abortion pills when he takes office, and endorsed Project 2025, a far-right think-tank policy paper that proposes reversing the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill and criminalizing mailing the drug.
Trump has said he plans to veto a federal abortion ban, adding the issue should be left to the states.
The Biden administration is looking to expand contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act. In a new rule proposed Monday, Oct. 21, by the Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury departments, private health insurance companies would be required to fully cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control, including daily pills, condoms and “the morning after” pill.
Currently, private health insurance companies are required to cover the cost of prescription contraception.
In a press release, the White House stated: “Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, dangerous and extreme abortion bans are putting women’s health and lives at risk and disrupting access to critical health care services, including contraception, as health care providers are forced to close in states across the country.”
The new rule proposal comes just over two weeks before the 2024 presidential race.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion has become a key issue in the 2024 election. Nearly half of states have enacted restrictions or a total ban on the procedure, with a majority of these states being Republican led.
Vice President Kamala Harris has promised to expand women’s reproductive rights, stating that abortion bans are dangerous for women. Former President Trump has proposed that the government pay for IVF treatment and asserted that abortion rights should be left to the states.
Administration officials indicate there will be a 60-day public comment period, and if the new rule is finalized, it would go into effect in 2025.
China upping pressure on people to have kids, it’s getting invasive
China is upping the pressure on its population, pushing families to start having children, according to several reports on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The country introduced a new policy in 2021 aimed at addressing China’s rapidly declining birth rate.
However, new revelations about the reportedly heavy-handed tactics the government is using to achieve results are emerging.
Chinese women are reporting family planning officials going door-to-door and getting very personal, with some asking about women’s menstrual cycles and their plans for children.
The effort is to embrace a “fertility culture” while abandoning a culture that once restricted childbirth.
Some fear the new approach will lead to tougher restrictions on abortion. Those concerns have grown as some cities require any woman who is 14 or more weeks pregnant to get permission from the local family planning department before having the procedure done.
The requirement dates back to the early 2000s to stop parents from aborting female fetuses, a common practice in the one-child era.
However, in at least one city with the rule, officials at two family planning offices reportedly are trying to discourage women from seeking abortions. The firms weren’t ordered to do so but mentioned the government’s three-child policy and less young people having children as an influence.
There’s also more visible artwork in the country, with subliminal messages to encourage childbirth and marriage. China’s new strategy appears to be spurred by fears of a shrinking population as it looks to surpass the United States as a world power.
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That goal may prove difficult with China’s population expected to fall by 109 million people by 2050, according to the United Nations, which more than tripled those numbers from a 2019 forecast.
Numbers for the future look even worse for the country, with some reports saying China could lose over 60% of its population, dropping to 525 million residents, by 2100.
US and state abortions down after Florida’s 6-week ban takes effect
It’s been a little over four months since Florida’s 6-week abortion ban has gone into effect, but the rate of abortions didn’t drop as much as it has in other states where similar bans have been enacted. A new study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, found after the ban took effect, abortions dropped by about 30% in Florida. However, in other states where similar bans were put into place, the numbers fell more dramatically.
In Georgia, for example, the abortion rate fell by almost half after (45%) its 6-week ban took effect in November 2022. And in South Carolina, abortions fell by 80% when the state’s law banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected went into place in August 2023.
Nationwide, however, average monthly abortions fell 7% since Florida’s ban went into place in May, and the drop in Florida accounted for more than a third of that decrease.
The Guttmacher Institute said this study suggests Florida clinics, abortion funds and support networks were better prepared than in other states to help women get abortions legally by detecting pregnancies earlier and using out-of-state telehealth pill prescriptions.
Some states have passed laws that allow providers to prescribe abortion pills via telehealth to patients in states with bans.
In November, Florida voters will get a say on the state’s 6-week ban. If a new amendment is approved by 60% of voters, abortions would remain legal until “viability,” which must be determined by a doctor.
US sending submarine to Middle East amid new developments
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East. And Tom Cruise gives the Paris Olympics a Hollywood ending as we look toward the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
U.S. sending submarine to Middle East amid new developments
The U.S. ordered the deployment of the USS Georgia, a “nuclear-powered submarine with cruise missiles,” to the Middle East. The movement of U.S. missile submarines is rarely revealed publicly — typically operating in near-complete secrecy — but the move comes as Israel is anticipating a potentially “large scale attack” by Iran in the next few days.
According to Axios, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday, Aug. 11, that Iran was making preparations for the attack on Israel. On Monday, Aug. 12 morning, Reuters reported Gallant’s ministry has confirmed a call between the two took place overnight.
The Israeli military has ordered more evacuations from part of a humanitarian safe zone it had set up in southwestern Gaza, saying they now plan to expand fighting. The IDF said there have been indications Hamas terrorists have a significant presence there now living among civilians.
These orders come a day after Israel struck a school-turned-shelter that the Hamas-run health ministry said killed at least 80 people. Israel claims Hamas fighters were hiding at the school compound.
Meanwhile, Hamas’ new leader said Sunday, Aug. 11, there would be no new negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza this week unless mediators from the U.S., Qatar and Egypt revert to a plan that would see a truce in the war.
In a “CBS Sunday Morning,” President Joe Biden said he believes a cease-fire deal is still possible before he leaves office.
Biden gives first interview since dropping out of 2024 race
The CBS interview on Sunday was President Biden’s first interview since pulling out of the 2024 race. Biden explained a major reason why he made that decision was so the Democratic Party could focus on what he says is the real issue: defeating former President Donald Trump.
“Polls we had showed that it was neck and neck race, would’ve been down to the wire,” Biden said. “But what happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races, and I was concerned if I stayed in the race that would be the topic. You’d be interviewing me about ‘Why did Nancy Pelosi say, why did so-and-so say?’ and I thought it would be a distraction.”
He added, “Although it’s a great honor being president, I think I have an obligation to the country to do the most important thing you can do, and that is we must, we must defeat Trump.”
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, had multiple one-on-one interviews air on Sunday, Aug. 11. In the interviews, he spoke with CNN’s Dana Bash, CBS’ Margaret Brennan and ABC’s Jonathan Karl about former President Trump’s plans should he be elected again in 2024.
On CBS, Vance defended recent comments by the former president indicating he may be willing to roll back access to the abortion pill. He said Trump “wants abortion related decisions to be left to the states.”
On CNN, Vance commented on Vice President Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, saying he’s the one being “weird” after that term has been used by the Democratic Party to describe the Republican ticket.
“I think that you take a sequential approach to it,” Vance said. “You are going to have to deport some people. If you’re not willing to deport a lot of people, you’re not willing to have a border when there are 20 million illegal aliens in our country.”
“You start with what’s achievable, you do that, and then you go on to what’s achievable from there,” Vance added. “I think if you deport a lot of violent criminals, and frankly, if you make it harder to hire illegal labor — which undercuts the wages of American workers — I think you go a lot of the way to solving the illegal immigration problem. But look, President Trump is absolutely right; you cannot have a border unless you’re willing to deport some people. I think it’s interesting that people focus on, ‘Well, how do you deport 18 million people?’ Let’s start with one million, that’s where Kamala Harris has failed, and then we can go from there.”
Vance will be on the campaign trail on Wednesday, Aug. 14, making a stop in Michigan, a key swing state, while Trump is set address the economy in North Carolina.
Trump will be sitting down for an interview with Elon Musk on Monday night, Aug. 12.
Trump campaign says it was hacked by Iran
There are new concerns over foreign interference in the U.S. election after the Trump campaign said over the weekend it was hacked by Iran.
Both Politico and The Washington Post reported receiving internal Trump documents including research on Trump’s running mate, Sen. Vance, “from an anonymous email account.”
News of a campaign hack comes just as Microsoft said on Friday, Aug. 9, it discovered “evidence that Iranian hackers targeted an email account of a campaign official” back in June. While Microsoft didn’t specify what campaign was impacted in their announcement, a person familiar to the talks told The Washington Post it was Trump’s campaign.
The extent of any sort of hack is not currently known, but the Post said they received hundreds of pages labeled as “confidential.”
USA Gymnastics: Video shows Jordan Chiles should not be stripped of medal
There’s some controversy as the Summer Olympics in Paris reach their end. USA Gymnastics is challenging the ruling of Olympic officials that called for Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles to return her bronze medal.
Chiles won the medal after the individual floor exercise final last week, after her coach submitted a review of the judges’ scores.
However, the decision this weekend by the court of arbitration for sport said Chiles’ coach had asked for the review four seconds after a one-minute deadline to submit such a request had expired per competition rules, meaning Romania won the bronze.
On Sunday, Aug. 11, USA gymnastics fired back at that ruling, saying it has submitted time-stamped video evidence showing the request was made within the one minute window. Olympic officials have yet to respond to the latest twist in this gymnastics saga.
Tom Cruise closes Paris Olympics with Hollywood ending
Team USA led the way at the 2024 Olympics with the most total medals: 126. It also tied with China for most gold medals, with 40 each.
As Paris marked the conclusion of its Olympics, it was up to the next host city, Los Angeles, to close out the show in style and L.A. brought a Hollywood ending.
Actor Tom Cruise channeled his “Top Gun” and “Mission: Impossible” roles by jumping off the stadium’s roof in Paris.
He was then handed the Olympic flag by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Olympic great Simone Biles to take back to L.A.
The closing ceremony also saw the musician H.E.R. singing the national anthem, as well as performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Billie Eilish.
Coincidentally, Team USA taking home 126 medals is the most since the U.S. won 174 in 1984 — the last time the Olympics were played in Los Angeles.
More women ‘self-managing’ abortions post-Dobbs decision: Study
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, access to abortion facilities has become more restricted in several states. That’s leading more women to self-manage abortions.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a “self-managed abortion involves any action that is taken to end a pregnancy outside of the formal healthcare system.” That includes things like self-sourcing medications — like buying the abortion pill mifepristone online — using herbs, plants, vitamins or supplements; consuming drugs, alcohol or toxic substances; and using physical methods, such as punching oneself in the stomach.
A new study shows the use of these methods is increasing. The number of reproductive-age women who say they’ve self-managed an abortion jumped by about 40% since the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, according to the study published Tuesday, July 30, in the medical journal JAMA.
The study’s authors said at the end of 2021, a few months before that decision, 2.4% of women said they had tried to self-manage an abortion. By the summer of 2023, about a year after the Dobbs decision, that had jumped to 3.4%.
Researchers said that number is likely far too low, since many people don’t talk about their abortions. They said it is probably closer to 10%, in reality.
Of those who self-managed an abortion, nearly 15% said they ended up having to see a doctor or nurse because of complications. Nearly 5% said they had to go to the hospital or urgent care for treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends medication abortion as the safest way to end a pregnancy, however, this study found only about 25% of women went that route. About 3 out of 4 women used less safe and effective methods of self-managing abortion, with the most common being emergency contraception, like the Plan B pill.
Emergency contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy, but the FDA said it won’t make a difference once someone is already pregnant.
The study’s authors said the number of people self-managing abortion is likely to increase as barriers to facility-based abortion grow.
Since the Dobbs decision, nearly half of U.S. states have severely restricted abortions, with 14 banning it altogether. The study also said evidence shows more people are traveling to states where abortion is still legally protected.
Texas woman wrongfully charged with murder for abortion sues
In 2022, Lizelle Gonzalez of Texas was charged with murder after she performed an abortion on herself using medication. After two nights in jail, the charges were dropped by the county prosecutor, who was subsequently reprimanded for the decision to bring charges in the first place. Now, Gonzalez is suing the authorities involved.
Gonzalez is seeking $1 million in damages for what she experienced in a state with some of the strictest abortion laws.
While abortion is largely illegal in Texas, women who get abortions are not subject to criminal or civil penalties — a common misconception regarding the Texas abortion law. Women who get abortions are safe from prosecution; it’s medical providers who could face fines or jail time if they perform an abortion outside of the state’s parameters.
The defendants named in the lawsuit tried to have the case dismissed, arguing they are immune from such lawsuits, but a federal judge decided it can proceed. The prosecutor at the center of the case was already fined $1,200 and had his license under a “probated suspension” for a year in a separate settlement reached with the State Bar of Texas.
The attorneys for Gonzalez argue this was a serious oversight of state law. A Southern Methodist University law professor, Joanna Grossman, spoke about abortion law with The Dallas Morning News.
“There have been cases in which people have been wrongfully charged with crimes related to self-induced abortion,” Grossman said. “But that’s a problem with rogue prosecutors rather than a reflection of what the law provides. There are no laws in Texas that criminalize self-managed or self-induced abortion.”
Women’s risk of death higher depending on their state: Study
According to a new study, where in the U.S. women live could be a matter of life or death. In its first ever state-by-state analysis of women’s health, the Commonwealth Fund found women are facing a growing number of threats to their overall health and well-being.
The Commonwealth Fund is a private nonprofit that supports independent research and grants with the goal of improving health care.
The researchers used data from multiple sources — including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — to evaluate states on 32 specific metrics across three main areas:
Health outcomes.
Health care quality and prevention.
Coverage, access and affordability.
Researchers that found across the board, women are more likely to die from preventable causes, specifically those linked to reproductive health – like pregnancy-related issues or certain types of cancer. However, they also looked at other preventable causes, including substance use, COVID-19 and treatable chronic health conditions.
The study said life expectancy for U.S. women is the lowest it has been since 2006. Researchers contend that the biggest issues seem to be in states where abortion and contraception laws are stricter.
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States in the Northeast scored the highest for women’s health, with Massachusetts coming in on top. Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire rounded out the top five.
The lowest-ranked states are Mississippi, Texas, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The report shows the lowest ranked states tend more toward the southern U.S.
The study also found a link between states with expanded Medicaid coverage and lower mortality rates for women. The rolling back of pandemic-era Medicaid coverage has left millions of women either uninsured or facing significant gaps in their coverage – interfering with their access to care and leaving providers that serve low-income women at risk of closure.
According to the researchers, where a woman lives is becoming a key determinant in how dangerous it is to give birth, or if she’ll die from cancers that considered treatable with proper screening and routine care.
