Every Sunday, women who have had abortions sit in church and hear that God forgives sin. But when abortion is never named, many conclude that the promise doesn't include them, and they take the pastor's silence as judgment.
Pro-life activist Anastasia Rogers had all charges dropped against her related to a 14-second video filmed outside a San Francisco Planned Parenthood, which led to her arrest under California's Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. After a mistrial due to a hung jury, the state agreed to drop the charges following a three-month diversion period, and the protective order restricting her sidewalk outreach was lifted.
Hannah Strege, known as the world’s first snowflake baby, was conceived as a frozen embryo from an IVF process and later adopted by parents struggling with infertility. She challenges the notion that embryos are property, advocating for the recognition of their humanity and criticizing IVF practices that treat embryos as excess or unwanted, emphasizing that she was never property but somebody's child.
Former President Joe Biden received the Sonia Schorr Sloan Service Award from Planned Parenthood of Delaware and used his acceptance speech to defend his record on abortion, urging supporters not to give up the fight for legal abortion. Biden reflected on his response to the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision by signing an executive order to protect access to reproductive healthcare and helping women seek abortions in states where it remained legal.
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has called for a national ban on the abortion drug mifepristone and urged the FDA to complete a safety review of the drug, criticizing the Biden administration's relaxation of regulations that allow the drug to be distributed by mail.
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 2164, which would have prohibited the governor from honoring extradition requests from other states seeking to prosecute individuals involved in abortions or gender transition procedures banned in those states. Newsom stated that extradition is an executive function and expressed concern about setting a precedent that would limit the authority of future governors, despite supporting protections for reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare services.
Virginia voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to enshrine abortion as a fundamental right under the term 'reproductive freedom,' which includes abortion, prenatal care, childbirth, contraception, miscarriage management, and fertility care. The proposed amendment would allow a single physician to authorize third-trimester abortions based on the woman's physical or mental health without requiring the threat to be 'substantial and irremediable' or the agreement of two additional physicians, differing from current Virginia law.
A coalition of 50 pro-life leaders called on FDA Commissioner nominee Dr. Heidi Overton to restore previous safeguards on the abortion drug mifepristone, including reversing the removal of the in-person dispensing requirement, while the FDA completes its safety review.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the custody battle between McKenna West, a surrogate mother from Alaska, and California couple Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar, who had a surrogacy contract requiring abortion if fetal abnormalities were detected.
Brigitte Stegemann, an 83-year-old Christian grandmother in Ontario, Canada, was euthanized through medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in July despite her repeated verbal refusals and apparent cognitive confusion during assessments. Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, has filed a formal complaint and is seeking an investigation, alleging that Stegemann lacked mental capacity to consent, that her power of attorney was bypassed, and that no final consent was given before the procedure.
A federal judge barred Illinois state officials from enforcing the state's assisted suicide law against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, a Catholic pharmacist, and groups of Roman Catholic nuns while litigation continues. The plaintiffs argue that the laws violate their religious beliefs, constitutional protections, and other legal provisions, and the court order prevents enforcement of specific provisions requiring healthcare providers to inform patients about assisted suicide and to refer patients to willing providers.
YouTube personality Jesse Ridgway and his wife Ashley decided to abort their unborn son after a diagnosis of Down syndrome, citing concerns about potential health complications and developmental disabilities. Ridgway responded to criticism from religious and pro-life voices with profane language, defending their choice and accusing critics of directing hate toward them.
Surrogate mother McKenna West has filed an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a California court order that recognizes the California couple who hired her as the legal parents of the child born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). West argues for custody or conservatorship, claiming she does not trust the couple to provide life-saving care and alleges they demanded she abort the baby, while the couple has obtained a restraining order barring her from seeing the child and is suing her for breach of the surrogacy agreement.