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Tuesday marks 50 years since a groundbreaking Colorado law significantly loosened tight restrictions on legal abortions. Before the law, Colorado — like many states — allowed abortions only if a woman's life was at stake. In 1967, a Democratic freshman state lawmaker introduced a bill that allowed abortions if the woman's physical or mental health was threatened, if the unborn child might have birth defects or in cases of rape or incest. (4/25)

A Democratic lawmaker pushing legislation to remove prohibitions on publicly funded abortions in Illinois hopes to call it for a vote as thousands of women converge on the capital to lobby for a "progressive agenda." (4/25)

In 2011 and 2012, Republican lawmakers passed bills to require abortion providers be licensed and to block state health programs such as Medicaid from paying for abortion. And Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed them both. Now back in control of the Legislature, Republicans are trying again. (Montgomery, 4/24)

The Minnesota House on Monday voted to ban state dollars from covering the cost of abortions for low-income women on public medical programs, looking to make gains at a time when abortion opponents nationwide are feeling emboldened. The prohibition on state funding, and a separate measure to require state licensing for abortion clinics, both sparked intense debate among House lawmakers, and both passed largely on the strength of Republican votes. (Lopez, 4/24)

The Tennessee attorney general's office says it would defend an amended abortion bill in court if it becomes law, despite previously calling the legislation's key restrictions "constitutionally suspect." The bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks if doctors determine the fetus is viable through required testing. The ban wouldn't apply in medical emergencies or if the mother faces risks of death or serious damage to a major bodily function. (Mattise, 4/25)