�鶹Ů��

Voters in Colorado and South Dakota will have a say on abortion rights this fall after enough signatures were collected to put measures on the ballots. South Dakota voters will get a chance at direct democracy on the contentious issue in a conservative state where a trigger law banning nearly all abortions went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Colorado’s measure, which made the ballot Friday, would enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution. (Dura, 5/17)

A judge in Ohio could rule as soon as Monday in a case that could overthrow the state’s 2019 abortion ban. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins is considering a case brought by a group of Ohio abortion clinics which seeks to invalidate the state’s law banning abortion in most cases after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. A ballot measure approved by voters last year already rendered much of that law moot, but parts remain in place including reporting requirements and a 24-hour waiting period, which can add stress and an increased financial burden for those in need of abortion care. (Bowden, 5/19)

Pro-life officials on Friday celebrated a South Carolina judge's denial of a Planned Parenthood motion to weaken the state's six-week abortion ban. A state judge in Columbia ruled against the reproductive health care organization's demand for a preliminary injunction that would slacken South Carolina's six-week abortion restriction to nine weeks, according to The State newspaper. (Creitz, 5/17)

With fewer patients, clinics have to scale back, pivot or close. Ballot measures this November could restore abortion access — but may come too late. (Luthra and Carrazana, 5/20)

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, facing a tough reelection fight in one of the races that will determine control of Congress, has made protecting reproductive rights a cornerstone of her campaign, and she’s willing to back that up by pledging to change the Senate filibuster rules if Democrats retain control of the chamber. The Wisconsin Democrat said taking that step is necessary to ensure that women in every state -– not the government -– can decide for themselves whether to have an abortion. As part of her campaign, she warns that Republicans might also target the filibuster to impose a national abortion ban if they prevail in November. (Fernando, 5/19)

More than 22,000 abortions were performed in Florida this year before a law took effect May 1 preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Newly posted data on the state Agency for Health Care Administration website showed a reported 22,409 abortions had been performed as of May 1. That was up from 14,735 abortions a month earlier. (5/17)

Women in the U.S. are more likely to delay motherhood now, compared to decades past, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than two decades ago the average age of a first-time mother was 24.9. Now, the average woman or birthing person is having their first child at 27.5 - a record high in the country. Researchers have found that a major factor in this change of age is the decline of teen moms. (Chernikoff, 5/18)

A personalized screening technique predicts preeclampsia more accurately than current guidelines relying on risk factors, recent research in the journal Hypertension suggests. “A pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and signs of organ failure,” preeclampsia develops in about 1 in 25 U.S. pregnancies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worldwide, it accounts for more than 70,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal deaths each year. (Blakemore, 5/18)