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A national abortion ban is underway

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Repro Nation Monthly | September 2025
Activists rally in Seoul, South Korea, on September 23, 2025, calling for the government to fulfill its pledge to introduce medical abortion pills during a press event marking International Safe Abortion Day. (Chris Jung / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Hyde at 49
September 30 marks the anniversary of the 1976 federal Hyde Amendment—one of the most consequential legislative provisions in history for curtailing reproductive rights that bans the use of federal funds for abortion through the Medicaid program. The fact that it was never permanently removed by Congressional lawmakers is coming back to haunt us all, namely through Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Thanks to that law, and a provision within it blocking many abortion clinics from the Medicaid program for one year, 1.1 million patients are expected to be cut off from a healthcare provider in their community. That is what lawmakers were doing when they moved to “defund” Planned Parenthood—a campaign the US Supreme Court essentially OK’d over the summer: eliminating access to cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and contraception.

 

For years now, reproductive rights and justice activists have warned that the anti-abortion movement had no intention of leaving the issue of abortion to the states, calling Donald Trump’s bluff. This is one of many examples of how they are going after abortion through federal programs that will affect access nationwide, including in states where abortion is legal. As Shefali Luthra reported for The 19th, Planned Parenthood’s closures “of close to 200 clinics — about one-third of all of its health centers — [will be] mostly in states where abortion is legal.”

 

The national abortion ban is already underway. It’s been in progress since the passing of Hyde and is advancing as the right marches us towards their ultimate goal of “establishing personhood for embryos and fetuses under the Constitution.” HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s latest plan to have the FDA examine “the safety and efficacy” of the abortion pill is just one part of this much broader strategy to further restrict or ban access in states where abortion remains legal, and where providers are assisting residents in states where abortion is banned.

 

While it’s difficult not to feel hopeless, there are many things you can do. Celebrate abortion access wins, no matter their size, in the US and abroad. Work to end abortion stigma by having tough conversations with those you love and those in your community. Continue to share information and resources to assist those who will need access to care. And, for those of you in a state with an off-year election in a few short weeks (hello New Jersey and Virginia!), mobilize voters ahead of election day. We know voting is not enough, but as Black Voters Matter cofounder LaTosha Brown puts it, “voting is a powerful harm-reduction strategy… to reduce the harm happening to our communities.”

 

In solidarity,

 

Regina Mahone

Senior Editor
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What We’re Watching
Academics & Others Reflect on the 20th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina →
Earlier this month, Regina Mahone moderated a discussion about reproductive justice and the Roberts Court at Georgetown Law. The conversation was part of a symposium held on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in Washington, D.C.
Resources
How to Get an Abortion

How to Use Abortion Pills

How Abortion Pills Work

The Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline

If/When/How Repro Legal Helpline

Support for Families of Trans Youth
Mental Health and Mutual Aid Resources for Trans People
Charley, the Abortion Chatbot

Digital Security and Abortion Guide

Find Help Paying for an Abortion

Abortion Access for a Young Person

Abortion Access for Immigrants

Pregnancy Criminalization, Explained
Buy Needed Items for Abortion Providers Nationwide
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What We’re Reading
The Abortion Pill Is Safe. But Why Should Trump Let Facts Get in the Way? (The Guardian)
California Doctors Can Now Prescribe Abortion Anonymously (Politico)
RFK Jr. Says FDA Will “Study” New Safety Limits on Abortion Pill (Axios)
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The Antiabortion Movement’s Decades-Long Goal Achieved: Planned Parenthood Defunded (Ms. Magazine)
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Big Tech Is Coming For Your Health Data. Here’s How To Protect Your Information. (Rewire News Group)
How Planned Parenthood’s Defunding Could Leave More Than a Million Patients Without Health Care (The 19th)
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Reinstate National Suicide Hotline for LGBTQ+ Youth (The 19th)
After Some States Repeal HIV Criminalization, Activists Hope to Continue Momentum (Prism)
The US Town That Pays Every Pregnant Woman $1,500: ‘We’re Not OK With Our Babies Being Born Into Poverty’ (The Guardian)
Mississippi Declares Infant Deaths Emergency as CDC Program That Could Have Helped Is Halted (The Guardian)
Maine Schools Are Standing Up to the DOJ’s Demand for Info on Trans Youth (them)
What I See As a Midwife for Pregnant Women in ICE Detention (The Cut)
Do State Referendums on Abortion Work? (The New Yorker)
Total Abortion Ban in Dominican Republic Has Cost Women’s Lives, Social Media Campaign Warns (NBC News)
Read all of the latest abortion news and analysis from The Nation here.
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