Apr 27 South Carolina Senate again rejects near-total abortion ban By James Pollard, Associated Press A 22-21 vote Thursday marks the third time a near-total abortion ban has failed to pass the Republican-led chamber since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last summer. Continue reading
Apr 27 Health care often takes a back seat after incarceration. Here's how some states are working to change that By Laura Santhanam, Tim McPhillips More than a dozen other states are exploring ways to streamline access to Medicaid and make it easier for people preparing to leave U.S. jails and prisons to receive the care they need. Continue reading
Apr 27 Washington, Minnesota become transgender and abortion sanctuaries By Lisa Baumann, Steve Karnowski, Associated Press Democratic governors in Washington state and Minnesota on Thursday enacted legal protections for people who travel to those states seeking reproductive and gender-affirming procedures and treatment. Continue reading
Apr 27 North Dakota's latest attempt at abortion ban likely to face lawsuit By Trisha Ahmed, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press The state joins a handful that have passed new abortion bans this year — and several that have tweaked their abortion policy as the landscape continues to shift in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturning the… Continue reading
Apr 26 Judge halts Missouri rule limiting gender-affirming health care By Jim Salter, Summer Ballentine, Associated Press A Missouri judge will decide whether a first-of-its-kind rule placing strict regulations on gender-affirming care in Missouri kicks in Thursday. Continue reading
Apr 26 Rep. Zooey Zephyr's town feels divide from rest of Montana after barring By Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press The city is often described as a blue island in a vast red state and elected the state's first openly transgender legislator. But its voters were still shocked at what happened next. Continue reading
Apr 26 Watch 7:46 Next generation of doctors prepares to tackle rural health care shortage in West Virginia By William Brangham, Matt Ehrichs and Caleb Hellerman, Global Health Reporting Center Nearly two-thirds of areas with a shortage of primary healthcare professionals are in rural communities. With support from the Pulitzer Center and in collaboration with the Global Health Reporting Center, William Brangham visited a hospital and a medical school in… Continue watching
Apr 26 North Dakota limits bathroom, locker room use for transgender people By Trisha Ahmed, Associated Press North Dakota's Republican Gov. Doug Burgum has signed a bill that limits access to bathrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms for transgender and gender-nonconforming people in several state facilities. Continue reading
Apr 26 Blue states look to expand insurance coverage of gender-affirming care By Claire Rush, Associated Press/Report for America The wide-ranging bill is part of a wave of legislation in Democratic-controlled states intended to carve out safe havens for transgender people amid a conservative movement seeking to ban or limit gender-affirming care. Continue reading
Apr 26 Transgender lawmaker banned from Montana House floor for rest of 2023 session By Amy Beth Hanson, Sam Metz, Matthew Brown, Associated Press Transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr was barred from participating on the House floor as Republican leaders voted Wednesday to silence her for the rest of 2023 session after she protested GOP leaders’ decision earlier in the week to silence her. Continue reading