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We're excited to bring you U.S. Repro Watch, your go-to source for the latest updates on reproductive health and rights in the U.S.  From attacks on medication abortion to Black Maternal Health Week, here's what we're following this week.

Repro News This Week: April 14

On Wednesday, a federal court largely refused to block an order that would revoke the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone—one of two drugs used in medication abortion.

The Fifth Circuit’s order attempts to reinstate burdensome restrictions from pre-2016, but does not revoke FDA approval of the drug entirely.

If the decision stands, it could gravely limit access to abortion care across the country—including in states where abortion is protected.

The ruling came in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, a lawsuit filed by anti-abortion advocates challenging the FDA’s initial approval of the drug.

In the U.S., medication abortion is the most commonly used method of abortion, accounting for more than half of all abortions. Mifepristone is part of a two-drug regimen.

This case is moving quickly. Follow us to get the latest updates.



Multiple states are moving to further protect abortion access.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer repealed the state’s 1931 abortion ban.

The New Mexico Supreme Court blocked local anti-abortion ordinances, agreeing to hear a case that argues such efforts violate the state constitution.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the state has purchased a three-year supply of the abortion pill mifepristone in light of the ongoing lawsuit threatening to end access to medication abortion nationwide.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey also announced that the state is stockpiling about a year’s worth of the abortion drug to preserve the state’s supply.



This week is Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17).

Black Maternal Health Week, a campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, aims to build awareness around racial inequities in maternal health outcomes in the U.S.



Did You Know?

Soon after Roe fell, the American Psychological Association expressed concern that the court’s ruling would “exacerbate the mental health crisis America is already experiencing.”

A new study in JAMA Network Open reveals that women’s mental health has indeed worsened since the U.S. Supreme court overturned Roe v. Wade. Findings show a statistically significant increase—approximately 10%--in mental distress after the decision among women living in states where abortion is now banned or restricted. Researchers also note that the mental health outcomes associated with restricting abortion may affect all women of reproductive age, not only those who have been denied an abortion.



QUOTE:

“The goal of the anti-abortion movement has always been to ban abortion nationwide—overturning Roe was never going to be enough. Anti-abortion advocates are chipping away at every form of abortion care, in every state.”

-Jenny Ma, Senior Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights
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