The Quickie: "There Aren't Two Sides to Science" 

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: PPFA president talks mifepristone case and state abortion bans, extreme FL sex ed bill bans kids from talking about their periods, and our weekly state fights lookahead. 

“THERE AREN’T TWO SIDES TO SCIENCE”: On Friday morning, Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson joined MSNBC’s Jose Diaz-Balart Reports to discuss the unprecedented and meritless case against the FDA’s approval of mifepristone — one of two pills commonly used for medication abortion. The case could have nationwide implications on abortion care, even in states where abortion remains legal and accessible. 

“This could impact patients in places where abortion rights have been supported and enshrined. We need to be very concerned. This is a very politically motivated case and it is a slippery slope when you have a single judge determining whether or not people can have access to a medication that has been FDA approved for over 20 years — that is what’s at stake right now. … I understand that there are multiple views around abortion, but there aren’t two sides to science. Mifepristone is safe, effective, and it has been used in more than half of abortion procedures across the country and taking it off of the market could significantly compromise abortion access and miscarriage management across the country.” 

Watch the full interview here.

BANNING ABORTION DOESN’T STOP ABORTION: This weekend, Wyoming became the first state to ban abortion pills, effective July 1, ahead of the Texas court decision on mifepristone’s approval. And, just last week, the Florida state legislature advanced a bill to ban abortion after six weeks — well before most people even know they are pregnant. But banning abortion doesn’t end the need for abortion. In a report by Good Morning America on the growing push by anti-abortion politicians to put care out of reach and control people’s bodies, Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America noted:

“People will continue to identify ways to make decisions about their own bodies. These states, and these state lawmakers, and these state governors are just making it harder for them to do so.”  

Watch the report here.

EXTREME ANTI-SEX ED BILL IN PREVENTS CHILDREN FROM TALKING ABOUT THEIR PERIODS AT SCHOOL: Last week, a Florida lawmaker introduced a bill that would limit sex education in schools to only students in grades 6 through 12 and ban any discussions by teachers of “sexually transmitted disease, health education, or human sexuality” prior to then. Wen questioned about the bill, the bill’s sponsor admitted that it would prohibit conversations about menstrual cycles with students younger than sixth grade, even though some children get their periods in grades 4 and 5. 

“They are restricting sex education, banning abortion, defunding birth control, and now going so far as to admit that young women cannot discuss menstruation under their absurd legislation,” Annie Filkowski, Policy and Political Director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, said in a statement. “Young people start menstruation anytime between nine and 16 years old. It’s ridiculous to prohibit them from discussing it with their teacher.”

This is just lawmakers’ latest attempt to limit control of our bodies — going so far as to even limit how we discuss them. Two weeks ago, Florida lawmakers introduced a highly restrictive law banning abortion at six-week of pregnancy, which is before many people even know they are pregnant. Since the 2023 state legislative session began, anti-trans lawmakers across the country have also introduced hundreds of bills attacking trans people’s ability to control their bodies and express their most authentic self, including bans on gender-affirming care for minors, youth sports bans, and restrictions on gender-affirming care for adults. 

Read more at Washington Post, HuffPost, and VICE. 

STATE FIGHTS LOOK AHEAD: Governors across the country are poised to enact both defensive and proactive sexual and reproductive health measures this week.

Proactive efforts:

• This week, Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green is expected to sign SB1 into law. The bill strengthens protections for abortion care in the state and safeguards legal care against extremist politicians looking to target abortion patients and providers.
• New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham has signed a bill that overrides local ordinances that seek to limit abortion access. 
• Several proactive sexual and reproductive health care bills will be heard in committee this week in Washington including personal data protections (HB 1155) and patient and provider shield provisions (HB1469) in the Senate Committee on Law and Justice on Wednesday, as well as legislation to eliminate cost-sharing for abortion (SB5242) in the House Committee on Health Care & Wellness also on Wednesday.
• Today, the Minnesota House will vote on the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act. The bill aims to protect the privacy of patients receiving reproductive health care in Minnesota and those coming to Minnesota from out of state, and seeks to mitigate the threat to doctors who provide reproductive health care.
• HB99, an LGBTQ+ non-discrimination bill, will be up for a vote in the Alaska House Labor and Commerce committee today.
• A postpartum Medicaid expansion bill has been signed by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves. 

Defensive efforts:

• On Friday, Wyoming Gov. Gordon signed two anti-abortion bills into law and released a statement calling for a constitutional amendment. HB152 cuts all state funding for abortion, even under the narrow exceptions allowed under the state’s (currently blocked) trigger ban, and SF109 outlaws and criminalizes the use, manufacturing, distribution, or prescription of abortion pills in Wyoming. There is also a penalty for providers who violate the ban.
• Omnibus anti-LGBTQ+ bill SB150 is on the desk of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. The bill includes a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, forced outing and “Don’t Say Gay” provisions, and a sex education ban. 
• On Friday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed HB2238, a bill banning trans students’ participation in school sports. The bill passed with a veto-proof majority in the Senate but the speaker of the House has promised to hold an override vote.  
• Today, Florida’s Senate Health Policy committee will hold a hearing on a proposed six-week abortion ban. The bill has already passed the House Health Care Regulation committee and could come for a vote in both the House and Senate as early as next week. In addition to banning abortion before most people know they are pregnant, the bill would increase funding for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.
• The Georgia Senate is expected to vote on SB140, a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, this week. The bill passed the House on Thursday where it was amended and sent back to the Senate. Following Senate approval, it will go to Gov. Brian Kemp for signature. 
• On Wednesday, the Ohio House Constitutional Resolutions will hold a hearing on HJR1. In addition to raising the vote threshold to 60% to pass an amendment, this measure also requires constitutional amendments to gather signatures in all 88 counties and eliminate the signature cure period.
• Several bills focused on advancing personhood are making their way through the Arizona state legislature. These include HB2502, legislation premised on a false and dangerous narrative of fetal personhood by allowing for backdated child support payments to the date of a positive pregnancy test, and HB2427, a bill to enhance sentencing for knowingly assaulting someone who is pregnant.
• A measure allowing private schools to ban or limit trans students’ participation in school sports (HB306/SB1237) will be heard in the Tennessee Education Administration committee on Wednesday. Tomorrow, a ban on local government abortion funds — such as that established by the city of Nashville — will be heard in the House Local Government committee. The measure (HB 90/SB 600) passed its subcommittee earlier this month.
• HB1569, a bill in Indiana that would ban gender-affirming care for incarcerated people, will be heard in the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law committee tomorrow.