Washington, D.C.’s attorney general Karl Racine issued a consumer alert urging residents to avoid using Facebook Messenger and other unencrypted messaging services for their abortion planning.
In a statement, Racine referenced an earlier story about a Nebraska woman who's facing multiple felony charges for allegedly helping her teenage daughter illegally abort her pregnancy. She made arrangements using Facebook Messenger. “Stories like these confirm the importance of data privacy," said Racine.
Racine welcomed people from states where abortion is banned — as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — to receive the procedure in the district, where it remains legal. But he said they should communicate using secure, encrypted messaging apps, suggesting Signal and WhatsApp, which offer secure end-to-end encryption so messages can be only seen by the recipient.
U.S. Supreme Court and Abortion Rights
The Arizona Court of Appeals blocked a judge's decision that allowed immediate enforcement of a pre-statehood law that criminalizes nearly all abortions. The ruling means that abortions can again take place in Arizona.
The three-judge panel agreed with Planned Parenthood that the judge should not have lifted the order blocking the law's enforcement, an order that came about when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. The new order says Planned Parenthood had shown they are likely to prevail on an appeal of the decision.
References
- Order in Planned Parenthood Arizona Inc. v. Mark Brnovichdocumentcloud.org
An Arizona Superior Court judge ruled that a pre-statehood ban on abortions can be enforced. Judge Kellie Johnson granted a request by the state's attorney general to lift an injunction against the ban put into place when the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade in 1973. With the injunction lifted, the law banning abortions is effectively reinstated.
"The court finds that because the legal basis for the judgment entered in 1973 has now been overruled," Johnson wrote, citing the Supreme Court's recent Dobbs decision, "it must vacate the judgment in its entirety."
In her ruling, the judge also stated the Arizona legislature has passed several statutes concerning abortion in the nearly 50 years since the injunction and those laws will now become precedent. The judge made specific mention of a 2021 law in which the Arizona legislature criminalized all abortions except to save the life of the mother.
References
- Judge Kellie Johnson's Rulingazag.gov
President Biden signed a second executive order in response to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. The new order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider further actions it can take to "advance access" to reproductive health services. In particular, the order raises Medicaid as a potential means for low-income women to cross state lines to receive abortions.
Biden's executive order also directs HHS to consider issuing new guidance for compliance with nondiscrimination laws and it instructs HHS to improve research and data collection so as to accurately assess the impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling on maternal health.
References
The Justice Department announced the establishment of the Reproductive Rights Task Force in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
According to a statement, the task force will monitor state legislation and enforcement that infringes on federal legal protections, prevents women from seeking abortions in other states, impairs individuals' ability to inform and counsel each other, bans Mifepristone, or imposes criminal or civil liability on federal employees who provide abortion services.
References
President Biden signed an executive order aimed at protecting abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. While it will not restore access to abortion in those states that have restricted or will restrict the procedure, the order is intended to help educate people on their existing rights.
In his remarks at the signing, Biden urged Americans to vote in order to codify Roe as federal law, acknowledging that to do so the Senate needs "two additional pro-choice senators" to change the filibuster rules. In addition, he said that if Republican lawmakers are able to pass a nationwide abortion ban, he would veto it.
References
A majority of Americans surveyed in a new poll by the Pew Research Center disapprove of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade's constitutional right to an abortion.
In a survey of 6,174 individuals from June 27 to July 4, the poll found 57% of respondents disapprove of the court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, compared to 41% who approve. Overall, 62% of Americans surveyed said that they believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
References
Google announced that, in the coming weeks, it will erase location history if it identified that an individual had visited an abortion or other medical facility.
In a blog post, a Google representative said the change in its location data gathering is due to the personal nature of some places people visit, including "medical facilities like counseling centers, domestic violence shelters, abortion clinics, fertility centers, addiction treatment facilities, weight loss clinics, [and] cosmetic surgery clinics."
References
- Protecting people’s privacy on health topicsblog.google
A district court blocked Louisiana's "trigger" laws that would have made nearly all abortions illegal in the state following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The court order occurred in response to a lawsuit from abortion providers calling the bans unconstitutional. A group representing the providers, The Center for Reproductive Rights, argued that the state's abortion bans are "vague," do not have a "clear and unambiguous effective date," and "lack adequate standing for enforceability."
A hearing for the providers' lawsuit has been set for July 8.
References
- Order of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleansreproductiverights.org
Copy of the order via The Center for Reproductive Rights
- June Medical Services Versus Jeff Landry, Attorney General of Louisianareproductiverights.org
Copy of the order via The Center for Reproductive Rights
In Dobbs v. Jackson, the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the court's 1973 decision that federally protected abortion rights. The court's six conservative justices joined the majority opinion with the court's three liberal members dissenting.
References
- Syllabus of Dobbs v. Jacksonsupremecourt.gov
The New York Governor's Office announced Governor Kathy Hochul signed a legislative package to protect the rights of patients and reproductive healthcare providers "in anticipation of a final decision by the Supreme Court on abortion access."
"Today, we are taking action to protect our service providers from the retaliatory actions of anti-abortion states," said the governor at the signing, "and ensure that New York will always be a safe harbor for those seeking reproductive healthcare."
References
A criminal complaint was filed against Nicholas John Roske of Simi Valley, California, charging him with attempted murder of a Supreme Court Justice. According to the Justice Department, in the early morning of June 8, 2022, two U.S. Deputy Marshals saw an individual dressed in black and carrying a backpack and a suitcase get out of a taxi in front of the residence of a sitting Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shortly thereafter, emergency services received a call from Roske allegedly informing them that he traveled to Maryland to kill a specific Supreme Court Justice. Police officers were dispatched and apprehended Roske, who was still on the telephone. A search of bags yielded a tactical chest rig and knife, a pistol with two magazines, duct tape, and hiking boots with padding on the bottom, among other items.
Roske allegedly told detectives that he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding abortion rights, as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. If convicted, Roske faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for attempted murder of a United States Judge.
References
In a new Gallup poll, mostly conducted after the leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision addressing abortion rights, the percentage of Americans identifying as pro-choice jumped six points to 55% from a year ago, just short of the record high of 56% in 1995.
Along party lines, 88% of Democratic-leaning respondents identified as pro-choice, marking an 18% increase from last year, while 23% of Republican-leaning respondents said they are pro-choice.
Among the 18 to 34 age group, 67% of respondents said they identified as pro-choice, while 58% aged 35 to 54 said the same.
References
Starbucks announced it will cover travel expenses for employees enrolled in its health care plan when accessing abortion or gender-affirming medical care and those services are not available within 100 miles of an employee's home. The benefit will also apply to dependents of Starbucks employees.
In a letter to employees, Starbucks executive Sarah Kelly said, "Like many of you, I’m deeply concerned by the draft Supreme Court opinion related to the constitutional right to abortion that was first established by Roe v. Wade. I know this is weighing on many of you, so let me be clear up front – regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality healthcare."
References
- Starbucks Commitment to Quality Healthcare and Support for Our Partnersstories.starbucks.com
- Letter to Starbucks Partners: Ensuring Access to Healthcarestories.starbucks.com
Following the draft ruling leak from the Supreme Court, the Pew Research Center released the results of a nationwide poll that examined Americans' views on abortion conducted in March, after oral arguments were heard in the case before the court that could overturn Roe v. Wade.
The poll found that 19% of U.S. adults think abortion should be legal in all cases, 71% say it should be mostly legal or mostly illegal, and less than 8% believe it should be illegal in all cases, without exception.
The research found that Americans' views on abortion largely depended on a variety of circumstances, including the length of the pregnancy and the health of the mother. "The abortion debate in America is often framed as a legal binary," read a statement, "with 'pro-life' people on one side, seeking to restrict abortion's availability, and 'pro-choice' people on the other, opposing government restrictions on abortion [but] relatively few Americans on either side of the debate take an absolutist view on the legality of abortion."
References
- On abortion, few Americans take an absolutist viewpewresearch.org
- America's Abortion Quandarypewresearch.org
Complete report (PDF)
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the draft ruling from the Supreme Court that was leaked to Politico. The draft opinion, which Biden confirmed is genuine, shows the Supreme Court has voted to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortions nearly 50 years ago.
"I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental," said Biden in a statement. "Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned." He noted that after the enactment of Texas law SB 8 and others like it, he directed his Gender Policy Council and White House Counsel’s Office to prepare options in response. "We will be ready when any ruling is issued."
Speaking at an Emily's List conference, Harris said, "Some Republican leaders are trying to weaponize the use of the law against women. How dare they? How dare they tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body?...It has never been more clear which party wants to expand our rights and which party wants to restrict them."