How US Abortion Access Has Changed In The Last 48 Hours
This is an excerpt from Incoming, BuzzFeed News’ morning newsletter dedicated to making sense of this chaotic world we live in. Join the club.
The abortion pill can remain on the market — with conditions — an appeals court ruled
The abortion pill mifepristone can remain on the market, but with tight restrictions that would severely reduce access to it nationwide, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday night. Mifepristone will no longer be able to be sent to patients by mail, and the latest it could be used to end a pregnancy was dropped from 70 days down to 49, or about seven weeks, before many people know they’re pregnant.
Wednesday’s ruling essentially walked back many changes the FDA had made since 2016 that made it easier for patients to access medical abortion. It also comes less than a week after a conservative federal judge in Texas ruled to suspend the FDA’s approval of the drug, saying regulators had failed to consider “the psychological effects of the drug or an evaluation of the long-term medical consequences of the drug.”
Medication abortion is usually carried out by ingesting two pills: mifepristone, which blocks the hormone progesterone and stops a fetus from developing, and misoprostol, which induces the expulsion of pregnancy tissue from the uterus. The drug, which must be prescribed by a healthcare provider, was approved for use in the US in 2000.
The Supreme Court has not yet indicated whether it will step in to rule on the case, but the DOJ has already said it intends to ask the court to do so.
The FBI arrested a 21-year-old who allegedly shared top secret military documents with his friends on Discord
A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard has been arrested on suspicion of leaking a trove of classified documents to his friends on Discord, some of which were later posted elsewhere online. Jack Douglas Teixeira is allegedly behind a massive leak of classified national defense material that exposed US surveillance on foreign allies and top secret information on the Ukraine–Russia war. Members of the Discord group shared an interest in God, guns, and military gear, according to the Washington Post.
SNAPSHOTS
The oldest member of Congress is facing calls to resign, but has agreed to step back from the Judiciary Committee due to continued ill health. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, 89, has been away from the Senate since February.
President Joe Biden appointed Lady Gaga to serve as cochair for the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The committee, which was founded in 1982, advises the president and other top officials on cultural policy.
Drake Bell is safe after police said he was "missing and endangered." The Nickelodeon star had gone missing in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Florida lawmakers passed a six-week abortion ban
Florida’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban most abortions after six weeks, before many people know they’re pregnant. Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law.
But the ban will only take effect after Florida’s Supreme Court rules on a legal challenge to the state’s existing 15-week ban. If the 15-week ban is upheld, as many predict is likely, the six-week ban is then expected to take effect.
Though the six-week ban has exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking, those exceptions are only available up to 15 weeks of pregnancy — and the person would have to provide documentation such as “a restraining order, a police report, medical record or other court order or documentation proving that she is obtaining the termination of pregnancy because she is a victim of rape or incest.” There’s also an exception if the life of the pregnant person is at risk, but the law would require two doctors to certify in writing that the abortion is necessary.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, 13 states have banned most abortions, and one state, Georgia, has a six-week abortion ban. Florida was one of the last remaining states in the South that had not effectively banned abortion. The state’s six-week ban means there is now a swath of more than 780,000 square miles in the US where people cannot access the procedure.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The new asparagus queen, Charlotte Schmidt, stands in a field with women in traditional costumes and the mascot “Spargelino” at the start of the asparagus season on April 13, 2023, in Brandenburg, Germany.
Cuffing and uncuffing in Hollywood
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have always been incredibly private about their relationship when it came to press and social media, but she actually chronicled their entire six-year romance in her song lyrics. “What if I told you none of it was accidental / And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me?”
Kourtney Kardashian opened up about why she "never" wanted to get married after previously hinting she was too "indecisive" to marry Scott Disick. Before she married Travis Barker, Kourtney rejected a number of marriage proposals from Disick, whom she had dated for nearly a decade.
Yellowstone stars Ryan Bingham and Hassie Harrison teased an offscreen romance while kissing in front of a fire. The two play love interests and hired ranch hands in the Western drama series, which premiered in 2018.
Still reading, eh? Seems like you might want to get this in your inbox. No pressure though. Just some food for thought.
