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Thursday

Thursday

The Supreme Court

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The Supreme Court

When, why, and how did the Supreme Court get the final say in the law of the land? The question of the Court's role, and whether its decisions should reign above all the other branches of government, has been hotly debated for centuries. And that's resulted in a Supreme Court more powerful than anything the Founding Fathers could have imagined possible.

The Supreme Court

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Wednesday

The Governor Of Texas Has Signed A Law That Bans Abortion As Early As 6 Weeks

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill that bans abortion beginning at around six weeks. LM Otero/AP hide caption

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National

The Governor Of Texas Has Signed A Law That Bans Abortion As Early As 6 Weeks

The new law prohibits abortion the moment a fetal heartbeat has been detected, before many women are even aware that they are pregnant. Enforcement of the law relies on private citizens.

The Governor Of Texas Has Signed A Law That Bans Abortion As Early As 6 Weeks

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Wednesday

Biden Administration Moves To Undo Trump Abortion Rules For Title X

A Planned Parenthood of Utah facility in Salt Lake City. The Biden administration is moving to reverse a Trump-era family planning policy that critics describe as a domestic "gag rule" for reproductive healthcare providers. Rick Bowmer/AP hide caption

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Politics

Biden Administration Moves To Undo Trump Abortion Rules For Title X

The Trump administration tried to "defund" Planned Parenthood and other groups through changes to the Title X family planning program. The Biden administration is proposing reversing those rules.

Biden Administration Moves To Undo Trump Abortion Rules For Title X

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Wednesday

Utah Law Requires Biological Fathers To Pay Half Of Pregnancy-Related Medical Costs

The Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. Under a new state law, a biological father will be responsible for half of a woman's out-of-pocket pregnancy costs. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

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Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

National

Utah Law Requires Biological Fathers To Pay Half Of Pregnancy-Related Medical Costs

The legislation requires a biological father to pay 50% of a woman's pregnancy-related medical costs, including insurance premiums and hospital birth. It's believed to be the first such U.S. law.

Wednesday

Arkansas Passes Near-Total Abortion Ban — And A Possible 'Roe V. Wade' Test

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law a bill banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Andrew Demillo/AP hide caption

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Andrew Demillo/AP

Politics

Arkansas Passes Near-Total Abortion Ban — And A Possible 'Roe V. Wade' Test

The law does not allow any exceptions in situations of rape or incest — only when it is necessary to save the life or preserve the health of the fetus or mother.

Thursday

In Poland, Protests As Near-Total Ban On Abortions Goes Into Effect

Protesters against new restrictions on abortion walk toward the Law and Justice Party headquarters on Wednesday night in Warsaw. A Constitutional Court ruling in October determined that abortions are only legal in cases of rape and incest, and when the mother's health or life is in danger. Omar Marques/Getty Images hide caption

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Omar Marques/Getty Images

Europe

In Poland, Protests As Near-Total Ban On Abortions Goes Into Effect

The Constitutional Court had ruled in October to ban terminations of pregnancies with fetal defects – nearly the only abortions that happen in Poland, which already had strict limits on the procedure.

Thursday

Biden Administration Prepares To Overturn Trump Abortion Rule

President Biden signs executive actions hours after his inauguration on Wednesday. He is expected to reverse several Trump-era policies. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

President Biden Takes Office

Biden Administration Prepares To Overturn Trump Abortion Rule

In a move requested by abortion rights advocates, Biden is preparing to overturn the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits U.S. aid to groups that provide or refer for abortion in other countries.

Friday

In Historic Vote, Argentina Chamber OKs Bill Legalizing Abortion

Demonstrators wait with green headscarves — the symbol of abortion rights activists — outside the Argentine Congress in Buenos Aires, where lawmakers endorsed a bill to legalize abortion Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

The Americas

In Historic Vote, Argentina Chamber OKs Bill Legalizing Abortion

"The world is unjust, but the answer is not in our uterus," lawmaker Gabriela Cerruti said of the vote in Argentina's Chamber of Deputies.

Thursday

A Biden Promise About Overseas Abortion Funding Could Prove Difficult To Implement

A 19-year-old woman talks with nurse Valeria Zafisoa at a traveling contraception clinic in eastern Madagascar run by the British nonprofit group Marie Stopes International. Samantha Reinders for NPR hide caption

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Samantha Reinders for NPR

Goats and Soda

A Biden Promise About Overseas Abortion Funding Could Prove Difficult To Implement

It's part of an ongoing back-and-forth: Republican presidents ban U.S. funds for foreign aid groups that 'promote' abortion, Democratic presidents revoke the ban. This time things could be different.

Saturday

Colorado Abortion Ban Could Be Felt Nationwide

Dr. Warren Hern's clinic in Boulder, Colo., photographed on Monday, June 1, 2009. Hern said a ballot initiative to ban abortion after 22 weeks in Colorado would prohibit about 95% of the procedures performed at the clinic. Ed Andrieski/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

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Ed Andrieski/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Politics

Colorado Abortion Ban Could Be Felt Nationwide

Colorado's Proposition 115 could shut down one of the few clinics nationwide that specializes in later abortion.

Colorado Abortion Ban Could Be Felt Nationwide

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Tuesday

A World Without Legal Abortion: How Activists Envision A 'Post-Roe' Nation

Anti-abortion-rights activists participate in the March for Life rally near the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption

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Susan Walsh/AP

Politics

A World Without Legal Abortion: How Activists Envision A 'Post-Roe' Nation

With the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, anti-abortion activists hope for a world where ending an unwanted pregnancy is not an option.

A World Without Legal Abortion: How Activists Envision A 'Post-Roe' Nation

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Tuesday

In Pennsylvania, Catholic Voters Are Targeted By Both Sides

The U.S. flag and flag of Vatican City are hung on the outside of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference building in Harrisburg, Pa., on March 26, 2019. Catholics outnumber Evangelicals in Pennsylvania by a 2-to-1 margin. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Religion

In Pennsylvania, Catholic Voters Are Targeted By Both Sides

A common Catholic "sensibility" is at work among both pro-Trump and pro-Biden Catholic voters, with an emphasis on the dignity of the human person.

Friday

With Roe v. Wade On The Line, Some States Take Steps To Protect Abortion Rights

Activists on opposite sides of the abortion debate demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court during the annual anti-abortion-rights event known as the March for Life, on Jan. 24 in Washington, D.C. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

With Roe v. Wade On The Line, Some States Take Steps To Protect Abortion Rights

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is backing legislation designed to codify Roe — the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide — in state law and expand abortion access.

Monday

A Look At Amy Coney Barrett's Record On Abortion Rights

President Trump and Judge Amy Coney Barrett walk to the Rose Garden of the White House on Saturday. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

A Look At Amy Coney Barrett's Record On Abortion Rights

President Trump promised to name Supreme Court justices who would oppose abortion rights. Activists say Barrett fits that mold. Her history as a federal judge offers potential clues to her views.

A Look At Amy Coney Barrett's Record On Abortion Rights

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