The Quickie: Abortion Rights and PPFA Win Popularity Contest (Again) 

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: majorities of Americans disapprove of Roe overturn and approve of Planned Parenthood, OR House advances repro & trans rights bill, ME legislature debates expanding abortion rights, and courts in MO and MT block rules targeting trans people and Medicaid. 

WINNING POPULARITY CONTESTS LEFT AND RIGHT: Today, Navigator released new polling data showing once again that abortion and reproductive health care providers (us!) are extremely popular. One year after the Dobbs decision leaked, three-in-five Americans continue to disagree with the overturn of Roe v. Wade, outpacing support by a massive 30-point margin. A majority of independents believe the overturn was bad for the country and equal amounts of Republicans approve and disapprove. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: support for abortion rights transcend party lines and remain extremely popular.

It’s always nice to hear that people like you and people really like Planned Parenthood. Almost two-thirds of Americans have favorable views of Planned Parenthood (nearly a 40 point approval margin), including a majority of Independents and nearly half of Republicans. 

Check out Navigator’s full results here.

OREGON HOUSE ADVANCES REPRO AND TRANS RIGHTS BILL: Yesterday, the Oregon House of Representatives passed the Reproductive Health and Access to Care bill (HB 2002). The bill: 

• Protects providers’ ability to provide reproductive and gender-affirming care in Oregon;
• Expands access to these critical services for rural Oregonians, Oregonians with lower-income, students, and more; 
• Prohibits the criminalization of seeking reproductive health care 

"In the wake of Dobbs, this legislation is needed now more than ever to protect providers’ ability to deliver essential health care, and expand access to abortion and gender-affirming care for patients who need it the most,” Jennifer Williamson, Interim Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, said. “Oregon lawmakers have made clear that in our state, we trust people to make their own health care decisions.”

Read more at AP and Oregon Capital Chronicle. 

MAINE LEGISLATURE DEBATES BILL EXPANDING ABORTION RIGHTS: This morning at 7 a.m., the Maine legislature concluded 19 hours of public debate over a proposal to expand access to abortion later in pregnancy. The measure is part of Gov. Janet Mills’s priority Act to Amend Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Law, which aims to update Maine’s law to protect and bolster reproductive freedom. In addition to repealing criminal penalties for abortion, the measure would permit abortion after viability if deemed necessary by a physician, giving patients the freedom to access essential care throughout pregnancy. Currently, Maine’s narrow life and health exceptions force most people who need abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy to travel out-of-state — a significant challenge for many, but especially people living in the state’s rural regions. 

“This bill will help make sure every person who needs abortion care in Maine can get the care they need, when they need it,” said Nicole Clegg, acting CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

Read more at AP. 

COURT BLOCKS MISSOURI AG RULE TO EFFECTIVELY BAN GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE: Yesterday, a St. Louis County judge again blocked Missouri’s pending ban on gender affirming care. The temporary restraining order will remain in place through at least May 15, when the court could issue a permanent block of the emergency rule. Should it be allowed to take effect later, the emergency rule would create the strictest restrictions on gender-affirming care in the nation for people of all ages by putting into place numerous politically motivated barriers to care that are not in line with existing medical standards. 

Providers of gender affirming care in Missouri, including the state’s Planned Parenthood affiliates, hailed yesterday’s ruling:

“The court correctly identified the heart of the issue: patients and providers will face serious and immediate harm if the rule takes effect,” Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said. “The fear and confusion so many of our patients have felt has been heartbreaking and the direct result of an attorney general without medical expertise or input from medical experts trying to dictate how other people should live as their authentic selves.”

“In the month since the rule was announced, our gender-affirming care patient population has more than doubled, demonstrating that people need this life-saving care, and don’t want an unelected attorney general using his personal ideology to dictate what they can do with their bodies and lives,” Yamelsie Rodríguez, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said. “We remain optimistic that the court will permanently strike down this harmful ban.” 

Read more at St. Louis Post-Dispatch and PBS Newshour.  

JUDGE BLOCKS MONTANA MEDICAID RULE LIMITING ABORTION ACCESS: Yesterday, a Lewis and Clark County District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO), blocking a new rule from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services that would have effectively eliminated abortion access for most Medicaid recipients in the state. The ruling comes after PPFA, Center for Reproductive Rights, and ACLU of Montana  filed a challenge to the rule on behalf of all three abortion providers in Montana on Friday, April 28. A hearing on providers’ request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for May 12. 

“We are incredibly grateful that the Court stopped this dangerous, unconstitutional new Medicaid rule from going into effect on May 8,” the plaintiffs said in a statement. “When they rejected LR-131 last November, the people of Montana made clear that they do not want the government interfering with their reproductive health care. It shouldn’t matter what zip code you live in, how much money you make, or what insurance you use—everyone deserves access to the full range of reproductive health care services available in Montana.”

Read more at AP.