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- Dec 12, 2019
Expanding Access to Abortion in Alaska
Abortion has been legal in Alaska for more than 50 years, since before the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. But that doesn’t mean much if pregnant people can’t get the care that’s their legal right. Laws designed to curb access to providers have made that hard, but Alaska also suffers from a shortage of physicians, particularly those specializing in women’s health. As a result, many Alaskans rely on nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, and other advanced practi
- Jul 25, 2019
Great news out of Idaho!
We're thrilled to report that yesterday, the U.S. District Court in Idaho agreed that our case challenging the state's law that bans nurse practitioners and other advanced practice clinicians from performing abortions has merit and can proceed. A quick recap: Across the country and in Idaho in particular, a significant percentage of patients now rely on nurse practitioners and physician assistants (collectively known as "advanced practice clinicians" or "APCs"), to meet their
- Jun 6, 2019
We're Fighting for More Accessible Abortion Care in Idaho
It's no secret: reproductive rights are under attack. From clinic restrictions masquerading as "protections" for pregnant people, to all-out abortion bans, dangerous new laws are cropping up in states across the country.
At the same time, other states are staunchly defending the discriminatory restrictions they already have on the books. That's happening right now in Idaho.
Idaho has a law that requires abortions to be performed exclusively by physicians. But people acros
- Dec 14, 2018
Legal Voice & Planned Parenthood Challenge Idaho 'Physicians-Only' Law
This is shocking: 95% of Idaho counties do not have an abortion provider. A major reason is that a decades-old Idaho law requires abortions to be performed exclusively by physicians. So while many Idahoans rely on advanced practice clinicians (APCs) – such as nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants – to meet their reproductive health care needs, they are banned from providing abortion care. So we’re demanding change. Today, we partnered with Pl
- Aug 29, 2018
Idaho Strikes Back in Our Case for Pregnant People's Bodily Autonomy
There has been a recent development in our case against the State of Idaho. We're challenging an Idaho law stating that a person's advance directive—also known as a living will—is void for the duration of their pregnancy and that the state can make decisions about the care that person receives. We are fighting to reclaim Idahoans' rights to make their own decisions about their health care and their bodies, regardless of their gender or ability to become pregnant. But that fig
- May 31, 2018
Idaho is Denying Pregnant People Their Rights. We're Doing Something About It.
Newsflash: people do not lose their civil rights when they become pregnant. Yet this is exactly what's at stake when states pass discriminatory laws that harm pregnant people's health, dignity, and autonomy. One such state is right here in our region: Idaho. Today, Legal Voice joined with Compassion & Choices to challenge an Idaho law that denies pregnant people the right to make their own health care decisions. First, the good: Idaho law does recognize that all adults have t
- Mar 21, 2018
Reproductive Parity Act Becomes Law in Washington!
Big news! The Reproductive Parity Act (SB 6219) has officially been signed into law! Today, legislative champions and community advocates gathered in Olympia as Gov. Jay Inslee signed this powerful bill into law. The Reproductive Parity Act (RPA) requires health insurance plans to cover all FDA-approved contraceptive methods free of cost-sharing requirements and over-the-counter contraceptives without a prescription. The bill goes even further, requiring health plans that cov
- Oct 23, 2017
Take Action: Urge HHS to Remove Language Defining Life as "Beginning at Conception"
You likely heard that the Trump Administration recently launched an attack on birth control under the guise of religious liberty. But you may have missed another, less publicized threat to reproductive health care. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a draft of its Strategic Plan for the next five years. Through this Plan, the Department aims to reframe its mission by defining life as "beginning at conception" and explicitly prioritizing the religious a
- Oct 11, 2017
Who's Making Your Reproductive Decisions?
Last week, the Trump Administration made it easier for your employer to make reproductive decisions for you. The Administration expanded the exemption to the Affordable Care Act's birth control mandate so that an even broader range of employers can stop offering contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans if they have religious - or the more general "moral" - objections to birth control. This latest attack on our health care rights is devastating and totally unscie
- Aug 17, 2017
Federal Court Upholds First Amendment Protections for Individuals Associated with Fetal Tissue Resea
Legal Voice represents a group of health care providers, researchers, clinic staff, and others who are involved in fetal tissue research programs with the University of Washington’s Birth Defects Research Lab. They fear for their safety if their personally identifying information is disclosed in public records requested by anti-choice extremists. As one of our clients explained, "I fear that having my identity and personal information released to the public would lead to hara
- Jul 21, 2017
King County Now Requires Crisis Pregnancy Centers to Indicate They Are Not Health Care Facilities
Great news! This afternoon, the King County Board of Health passed an ordinance requiring certain crisis pregnancy centers to indicate to the public that they are not health care facilities. Despite what crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) want you to believe, most, if not all, are not actually medical clinics. They are nonprofit organizations, usually religiously affiliated, that are dedicated to opposing abortion and birth control. They use strategic advertising to target peopl
- Jun 7, 2017
Legal Voice Intern Creates Website Mapping Abortion Clinics Nationwide
The Legal Voice staff have been so lucky to have Maddy Rasmussen with us during her junior and senior years as she worked diligently to create The Safe Place Project, a website mapping abortion clinics across the United States. "I’ve always had an interest in women’s rights, but it wasn’t until I started this internship that I realized how difficult it can be for women to receive abortion care,” said Maddy. “I wanted to ease that burden by creating a simple, easy-to-use websi
- May 17, 2017
Standing with Melissa: Legal Voice Fights the Criminalization of Pregnant People Based on Their Birt
No one should be punished for a pregnancy outcome. Yet, all around the nation, women have been arrested, jailed, and prosecuted - including Melissa McMillen, a Washington State woman who gave birth at home alone in her bathroom and was convicted of murder when the baby did not survive. Melissa was made out to be a murderer for suffering a pregnancy loss. She is currently serving a prison sentence of more than 10 years for not seeking medical attention for a baby that she beli
- May 4, 2017
Trump backed down. We never will.
Yesterday we told you of our plans to challenge President Trump's Executive Order if it sanctioned discrimination against women, LGBTQ people, and religious minorities. And we weren't the only ones with plans to do so. We were part of a broad and powerful opposition that was ready to fight - and that was too much of a threat. This morning, Trump signed a "religious freedom" order that takes a significant step back from the version that leaked in February. However, though the
- May 3, 2017
We're preparing to sue the Trump Administration.
This is big. President Donald Trump is expected to sign a sweeping Executive Order tomorrow that would allow people and organizations claiming religious objections to discriminate against women, LGBTQ people, and religious minorities. And if it looks like what we expect, we're going to fight it. That's right. We're gearing up to sue the Trump Administration. Legal Voice has long been a leader in demanding equality in health care, employment, and public accommodations, and in
- May 1, 2017
In the News: Self-Induced Abortion Legal Team
You can see it happening: abortion being increasingly stigmatized, made unaffordable, and pushed out of reach. Many women are left without adequate options. And what's worse, they're being wrongfully prosecuted for using one of the few options they have left: self-administering a medication abortion. At least 17 people have been arrested or prosecuted for allegedly inducing their own abortions, and there are countless others who have faced prison time for their birth outcomes
- Apr 19, 2017
When a Choice Isn't a Choice: Defending the Reproductive Privacy Act
At Legal Voice we believe that a choice isn't a choice if you cannot act upon it or if your decision is coerced. That's why in the 1990s, Legal Voice led the fight to pass the Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA) by a direct vote of the people. The RPA not only guarantees a pregnant person's fundamental right to abortion, but also helps ensure access to that right by requiring state health centers that offer maternity care services to provide "substantially equivalent" abortion car
- Dec 17, 2016
Legal Voice and Other Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice Leaders Join in Solidarity
This week, Legal Voice joined more than 90 organizations and 270 leaders in the movement for reproductive health, rights, and justice in D.C., where we developed a collective statement promoting reproductive justice for all. We won’t allow roll-backs on hard-won rights. We will hold firm to ensuring that all people are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect and can achieve full reproductive freedom. Together, we will work for a world where equitable access to sexual an
- Aug 19, 2016
The Intimidation Stops Here
Last year, the so-called Center for Medical Progress released secret video footage that claimed to expose Planned Parenthood's illegal handling of fetal tissue donation. The man behind that smear campaign, David Daleiden, has now shifted his focus to Washington State doctors and researchers involved in important, life-saving research. Daleiden has requested public records from the University of Washington Birth Defects Research Lab in hopes of finding what we're positive he w
- Aug 11, 2016
Help Us Keep Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Check by Sharing Your Story
Limited service pregnancy centers—also known as "crisis pregnancy centers"—are not medical clinics, but non-profit organizations, usually religiously affiliated, that are dedicated to opposing abortion. They use strategic advertising to appeal to people seeking free assistance when facing an unintended pregnancy, and establish themselves with social service agencies as an appropriate referral for pregnant people seeking a full range of options. What they don't advertise is th