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Nearly a quarter-century after its last major ruling on abortion created a fragile balance between women's rights and government restrictions, the Supreme Court appears ready for a rematch. And like the last time, the debate would unfold in the midst of a presidential election. (Wolf, 11/13)

Conflicting rulings about whether women should have to cross state lines to obtain an abortion could prompt the Supreme Court to take up its first case on the hot-button social issue since 2007. The justices could say as soon as Friday whether they will hear cases from Texas and Mississippi that examine how states regulate abortion clinics. If they accept the cases, a decision on abortion, along with others on religious freedom and contraception under the Obama health care overhaul, affirmative action and perhaps even immigration, are likely to land in late June, roughly four months before the 2016 presidential election. (11/12)

Women visiting the Hope Pregnancy Center here could receive a free sonogram, counseling on the virtues of parenting and adoption, a tutorial on the risks of terminating a pregnancy and pamphlets on “Car Seat Safety” and “How to Receive Christ.” What they won’t get is a referral to an abortion doctor. (Jervis, 11/12)

Four years after cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood, the state of Texas says it has been able to rebuild its safety net, in what could be a model for Republicans in Congress who hope to defund the nation's largest family planning provider at the national level. Independent health experts dispute the claim, saying Texas still has a long way to go before it can provide the level of service it did when Planned Parenthood was an integral part of its family planning efforts. (11/12)