Abortion, Every Day

Illustration: Casey Beifuss In 1972, Dusty Swan, nee Debbie Frare, supported a friend who had to leave Florida to access abortion. The following year, the Supreme Court issued Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion and allowing clinics to open in Dusty’s community. She inquired about volunteer opportunities at her local clinic in Orlando, and the rest is history. Today, Dusty is a swan—that is, a volunteer clinic escort with Stand with Abortion Now (SWAN), which officially formed in 2022.

We’re doing things a little differently this week, with Jessica offline and our daily reports on pause. To make sure you stay briefed in the meantime, we’re publishing a special edition of The Week in Abortion—available to all subscribers, whether you’re a paying member or not. Let’s start with the news conservatives haven’t been able to shut up about.

Illustration: Casey Beifuss Last week, you met the attorney working to nip pregnancy criminalization in the bud. But attorneys are just one line of defense. There are a lot of stop-gaps to prevent pregnancy-related arrests—including health care workers.

For the first time since the end of Roe v Wade, a federal court has ruled that there are still protections for abortion rights under the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, a U.S. district court judge in Idaho ruled that women have a constitutional right to abortion to preserve their physical and mental health. Not just to save their lives, and not just to prevent a major health catastrophe—but to protect their ongoing health. This is fantastic news and a big deal, so please stick with me.

We made it to Friday, and what a special week it was—particularly for Massachusetts! My ‘One Good Thing’ is actually a couple things: I have a good friend’s bachelorette party this weekend and some relaxing travel lined up late next week to cap off the peak of summer. And after that, somehow, it’ll be September soon, arguably the best month of the year.

Okay, I promised I wouldn’t work on my vacation, but this news was too good not to share: Massachusetts just legalized abortion throughout pregnancy, becoming the 10th state to allow abortion after 24 weeks.1 At a bill signing ceremony today, Gov.

A few days ago, we told you the devastating story of a teenage girl in North Carolinafacing criminal charges for allegedly taking abortion pills. The young woman was arrested and jailed just days after going into labor, and in the midst of extreme medical trauma. She is charged with assault with a “deadly weapon” after allegedly taking abortion pills 31 weeks into her pregnancy, which prompted her to go into labor.

Illustration: Casey Beifuss In the first two years after the Supreme Court killed Roe, over 400 people faced criminal charges related to their pregnancies. Many were struggling with substance use disorders. And many were jailed while pregnant, against all medical guidance and public health warnings, separated from their newborns, or subjected to invasive, faulty drug testing. Organizations like Pregnancy Justice perform the vital, urgent work of providing legal representation to these women.

730. According to a new report by Pregnancy Justice, that’s how many state bills were introduced impacting fetal personhood—a mix of legislation to endanger pregnant people, and protect them. The stat that stopped us in our tracks: bills to prosecute abortion patients for homicide jumped from just three in the 2023-2024 legislative session to 14 in 2026.

Hi all - Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I know One Good Thing is usually reserved for paying members, but I thought it would be fun to open the comments to everyone today. :) For anyone new here: OGT is our weekly thread where we share something good that’s happened recently—no matter how big or small. It’s our way to take a beat and focus on some joy. Share anything you want—a promotion, wedding anniversary, great dinner with a friend, or the cute dog you passed on the way to work.