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The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would expand access to contraceptive products, including making over-the-counter birth control and condoms free for the first time for women of reproductive age who have private health insurance. Under the proposal by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor Department, and Treasury Department, which was announced by the administration on Monday, health insurance companies would be required to cover all recommended over-the-counter contraception products. (Duster, 10/21)

When one of Kamala Harris’ pollsters asked a small group of women in a focus group in February to describe Donald Trump’s position on abortion, most said they thought he was “pro-choice.” But then the pollster, working for Harris and President Joe Biden when he was still atop the ticket, played a clip of Trump saying “there should be some form of punishment” for women who have an abortion. (Schneider and Ward, 10/20)

The Catholic Church has long been one of the most powerful opponents of abortion in the United States. In fact, it’s one of the largest private entities bankrolling campaigns against abortion rights. But Catholic bishops are taking a very different approach this year, according to an analysis by NPR and Religion News Service. As voters in 10 states consider abortion-related ballot questions, Catholic bishops have spent millions less on donations to anti-abortion campaigns than in previous years, according to public financial documents. (Westwood and Jenkins, 10/20)

Reproductive rights measures are on the ballots in 10 states after heated debates over how to describe their impact on abortion — and that’s just in English. In 388 places across the U.S. where English isn’t the primary language among communities of voters, the federal Voting Rights Act requires that all elections information be made available in each community’s native language. Such translations are meant to help non-native English speakers understand what they’re voting for. But vague or technical terms can be challenging, even more so when it comes to Indigenous languages that have only limited written dictionaries. (Warren, Mulvihill and Marcelo, 10/21)

Abortion has overtaken immigration to become the second most important issue for voters heading into the 2024 election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Newsweek polling suggests. Over the past 16 months, a series of polls conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies ahead of the November 5 election asked participants: "Which issues are most likely to determine how you vote in the November 2024 Presidential Election? You may select up to three." Only four issues out of 24 were repeatedly selected by more than two in five respondents: the economy, abortion, immigration and healthcare. (10/21)

A new opinion poll suggests Florida voters are primed to pass two of the most contentious questions on the November ballot, approving recreational marijuana and a right to abortion. The survey from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL), released early Monday, shows 66% approval for Amendment 3 on adult-use pot and the bare minimum 60% for Amendment 4 on abortion access. (Rosica, 10/21)

Rachel Sweet joined dozens of rally goers in a Kansas City, Missouri union headquarters parking lot on a warm October Saturday, holding a sign that read "Yes on 3" and joining a call-and-response chant: "When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!" Sweet, 33, could have been any of the union workers, faith leaders or abortion rights canvassers gathered in support of Amendment 3, a measure on the Missouri ballot in the Nov. 5 election that would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution. ... Sweet, a former lobbyist for Planned Parenthood, led campaigns to defeat anti-abortion initiatives in two of those states - Kansas and Kentucky. She was a senior adviser on Ohio's campaign to establish abortion rights last year, traveling to the state days after her wedding to knock on doors with her husband. (Borter, 10/20)

Protests increase at a small Redding clinic, and women seeking abortions have no alternatives for nearly 100 miles around. (Fagan, 10/20)