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Sarah McCammon Sarah McCammon is a National Desk correspondent with NPR News.
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Sarah McCammon

Correspondent, National Desk

Sarah McCammon is a National Correspondent for NPR. Her work focuses on political, social and cultural divides in America, including abortion policy and the intersections of politics and religion. She's also a frequent guest host for NPR news programs.

During the 2016 election cycle, as NPR's lead political reporter covering the Donald Trump campaign, she reported on the rise of the Trump movement, divisions within the Republican Party over its future and the role of religion in those debates. McCammon's reporting has documented the growing political power of the anti-abortion-rights movement culminating with the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, efforts by abortion rights advocates to push back and the rising tide of white Christian nationalism.

McCammon is frequently called upon to cover breaking news events and national politics. Her work has won numerous awards, including a 2023 Wilbur Award for religion reporting, a Gracie in 2020 for her reporting on reproductive rights and a National Press Club Journalism Award for team coverage of the Pittsburg synagogue shooting in 2018.

Prior to joining NPR in 2015, McCammon reported for NPR Member stations in Georgia, Iowa and Nebraska. She began her career as newspaper reporter in the Chicago area.

Story Archive

Friday

Indiana reprimands doctor who spoke publicly about providing 10-year-old's abortion

Tracey Wilkinson (left), a pediatric doctor with Indiana University School of Medicine, and Caroline E. Rouse, a maternal fetal medicine doctor with IU School of Medicine, line up outside of a conference room to support Caitlin Bernard during Thursday's hearing. Mykal McEldowney/AP hide caption

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Mykal McEldowney/AP

National

Indiana reprimands doctor who spoke publicly about providing 10-year-old's abortion

Caitlin Bernard, an Indiana OB-GYN, has been under scrutiny from her state's Republican attorney general since speaking out about the impact of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Indiana reprimands doctor who spoke publicly about providing 10-year-old's abortion

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Tuesday

A year after Supreme Court's abortion decision, Planned Parenthood announces layoffs

Abortion rights supporters rally outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis on May 31, 2019. At the time, it was the last location in Missouri performing abortions. The state's abortion ban took effect soon after the Dobbs decision in 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

National

A year after Supreme Court's abortion decision, Planned Parenthood announces layoffs

Nearly a year after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back abortion rights, the nation's most prominent abortion provider says it will rethink its structure and cut staff.

Monday

National

More women sue Texas saying the state's anti-abortion laws harmed them

More women who say they were put in danger by Texas' abortion bans are joining a lawsuit that seek to force the state to clarify medical exceptions in the laws.

More women sue Texas saying the state's anti-abortion laws harmed them

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With growing abortion restrictions, Democrats push for over-the-counter birth control

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray discusses efforts to protect reproductive rights during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in August 2022. Murray has re-introduced legislation that would require health insurers to cover over-the-counter birth control if the FDA approves it. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

National

With growing abortion restrictions, Democrats push for over-the-counter birth control

With abortion increasingly restricted in many states, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), hopes to persuade Republicans to back insurance coverage for over-the-counter birth control.

Monday

He helped craft the 'bounty hunter' abortion law in Texas. He's just getting started

Jonathan Mitchell, pictured on April 27 inside the statehouse in Austin, Texas, is credited with devising the legal strategy behind the near-total abortion ban in Texas known as S.B. 8. Sarah McCammon/NPR hide caption

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Sarah McCammon/NPR

National

He helped craft the 'bounty hunter' abortion law in Texas. He's just getting started

The attorney Jonathan Mitchell is known for leveraging the law to achieve his conservative clients' goals — regardless of the potential political fallout.

He helped craft the 'bounty hunter' abortion law in Texas. He's just getting started

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Saturday

Law

In New Mexico, anti-abortion activists take abortion restrictions local

New Mexico is at the heart of a fight over abortion rights that's pitting local anti-abortion ordinances against state officials who support abortion rights.

In New Mexico, anti-abortion activists take abortion restrictions local

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Wednesday

Law

Without Supreme Court intervention, abortion pill could be heavily restricted

An administrative stay from the Supreme Court in a federal abortion pill case out of Texas expires late Wednesday, once again putting access to mifepristone in jeopardy.

Without Supreme Court intervention, abortion pill could be heavily restricted

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Tuesday

Law

Mifepristone is on the market today, but that could change tomorrow

With an administrative stay from the Supreme Court set to expire late Wednesday, the future of access to the abortion pill mifepristone is uncertain.

Mifepristone is on the market today, but that could change tomorrow

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Why anti-abortion groups are citing the ideas of a 19th-century 'vice reformer'

Boxes containing doses of the abortion pill mifepristone are laid out at the Hope Clinic in Illinois. The Comstock Act of 1873, which outlawed the distribution of "obscene" materials such as contraception, is being cited as a basis for blocking the mailing of mifepristone. Sarah McCammon/NPR hide caption

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Sarah McCammon/NPR

National

Why anti-abortion groups are citing the ideas of a 19th-century 'vice reformer'

Anthony Comstock pushed Congress to crack down on what he saw as harmful vices, such as pornography and contraception. An 1873 law named for him has appeared in recent court battles over abortion.

Sunday

History

What is the 19th century Act being cited as a basis for blocking the abortion pill?

The 19th century Comstock Act, which outlawed the distribution of "obscene" materials, including contraception, is being cited as a basis for blocking the mailing of the abortion pill mifepristone.

What is the 19th century Act being cited as a basis for blocking the abortion pill?

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Thursday

Health

U.S. appeals court preserves mifepristone approval, but with limitations

A U.S. appeals court ruling ratchets approval of the abortion pill mifepristone from 10 weeks of pregnancy down to seven weeks and says that — for now — the drug can no longer be sent in the mail.

U.S. appeals court preserves mifepristone approval, but with limitations

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Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to restore full access to abortion pill

In this 2018 photo, mifepristone and misoprostol pills are provided at a Carafem clinic for medication abortions in Skokie, Ill. Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images hide caption

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Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Law

Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to restore full access to abortion pill

The Justice Department is seeking emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court in a Texas case involving limited access to the abortion drug mifepristone.

U.S. appeals court preserves partial access to abortion pill, but with tighter rules

The Justice Department had asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans for an emergency stay of an abortion pill ruling by a federal judge in Texas while the court hears the case. Jonathan Bachman/AP hide caption

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Jonathan Bachman/AP

Law

U.S. appeals court preserves partial access to abortion pill, but with tighter rules

The Biden administration had asked the higher court to stay a decision from a Texas judge while the appeal plays out.

U.S. appeals court preserves partial access to abortion pill, but with tighter rules

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Health

Federal appeals court preserves limited access to the abortion pill mifepristone

A federal appeals court will allow partial access to the abortion drug mifepristone while a high-profile federal case plays out, but with new limitations on how the drug can be dispensed.

Federal appeals court preserves limited access to the abortion pill mifepristone

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Monday

Documents in abortion pill lawsuit raise questions about ex-husband's claims

Text messages included as exhibits in Marcus Silva's lawsuit may offer clues about when they were captured. from a lawsuit filed in Galveston County, Texas hide caption

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from a lawsuit filed in Galveston County, Texas

National

Documents in abortion pill lawsuit raise questions about ex-husband's claims

A Texas man is suing three women he says helped his ex-wife obtain an abortion "without even his knowledge." Experts say documents related to the case suggest he might have known ahead of time.

Documents in abortion pill lawsuit raise questions about ex-husband's claims

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Health

The future availability of abortion pills remains uncertain after conflicting rulings

A conflicting and confusing set of federal court rulings Friday is leaving abortion providers in the U.S. uncertain about the future availability of abortion pills.

The future availability of abortion pills remains uncertain after conflicting rulings

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Saturday

Health

Access to a key abortion drug is in jeopardy nationwide after court decisions in two states

A Texas judge suspended the FDA's approval of an abortion drug on Friday, the same day that a court in Washington State blocked the FDA from taking the drug off the market.

Access to a key abortion drug is in jeopardy nationwide after court decisions in two states

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Friday

Judges' dueling decisions put access to a key abortion drug in jeopardy nationwide

Mifepristone is part of a two-drug protocol that a recent study showed was used in 98% of medication abortions in 2020. Allen G. Breed/AP hide caption

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Allen G. Breed/AP

Health

Judges' dueling decisions put access to a key abortion drug in jeopardy nationwide

A federal judge in Texas stayed the FDA's approval of the drug mifepristone, while a federal judge in Washington state blocked any FDA change in access.

Judges' dueling decisions put access to a key abortion drug in jeopardy nationwide

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Tuesday

Friday

Read the transcript: What happened inside the federal hearing on abortion pills

The J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, where U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will decide on a lawsuit over the abortion drug mifepristone. Justin Rex/AP hide caption

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Justin Rex/AP

National

Read the transcript: What happened inside the federal hearing on abortion pills

Read the transcript from Wednesday's hearing before Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in a federal case that could decide the future of access to a major abortion pill.

Thursday

Abortion Access Could Be Limited Further By Mifepristone Case

Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion, are seen at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

The NPR Politics Podcast

Abortion Access Could Be Limited Further By Mifepristone Case

Was the FDA wrong to approve a drug that's used in nearly all medication abortions in the U.S. — and should the drug, mifepristone, be taken off the market? Those questions were argued in court Wednesday, in a case heard by federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, in Amarillo, Texas.

Abortion Access Could Be Limited Further By Mifepristone Case

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