Federal judge at center of FDA abortion drug case has history with conservative causes
U.S. District Matthew Kacsmaryk was once deputy counsel for the First Liberty Institute, the Plano-based conservative Christian law firm. Full Story
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Eleanor Klibanoff is the law and politics reporter, based in Austin, where she covers the the Texas Legislature, the Office of the Attorney General, state and federal courts and politics writ large. She also co-hosts the weekly politics podcast, TribCast. Eleanor previously spent three years as the Tribune’s women’s health reporter, covering abortion, maternal health and LGBTQ issues. Before coming to Texas, Eleanor worked for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, where she reported, hosted and produced the Peabody-nominated podcast, “Dig.” Eleanor was born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlanta, and attended The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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![Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.]()
Credit: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas -
Three Texas women are sued for wrongful death after allegedly helping friend obtain abortion medication
In the first lawsuit of its kind since Roe v. Wade was overturned, a husband seeks damages from women who allegedly helped his ex-wife obtain the medications to terminate her pregnancy. Full Story
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![A patient prepares to take mifepristone, the first pill given in a medical abortion, on Jan. 13, 2023.]()
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Conservative radio host Glenn Beck buys Roe v. Wade attorney Linda Coffee’s archive to highlight “bloody legacy”
Coffee, the last living member of the legal team that argued the landmark abortion case, put her archive up for auction. Beck bought it for $600,000. He says it will fit in with his “German eugenics” collection. Full Story
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![The filing receipt for Roe vs. Wade from the U.S. Northern District Court of Texas in Linda Coffee’s home in Mineola, TX on July 7, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
“I love my babies. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy”: One mother’s struggle to survive in pro-life Texas
Pregnancy forced Destiny Williams to quit her job. She almost died during childbirth. Now with a newborn in tow, she’s struggling to build a more stable life for her and her children. Full Story
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![2/10/23, Pineland, Texas: Destiny Williams holds her three month old Irelynn inside her home in Pineland. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune]()
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Women denied abortions sue Texas to clarify exceptions to the laws
Five women announced a new lawsuit Tuesday, marking the first time patients directly affected by new abortion laws have sought to challenge them in court. Full Story
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![Lauren Hall outside her home on Sept. 10, 2022. Hall had a non-viable pregnancy and had to leave the state in order to terminate, revealing gaps in the state's miscarriage exception after Roe v. Wade was overturned.]()
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Wendy Davis to lead Planned Parenthood’s political advocacy arm
Davis, who is best known for her 13-hour filibuster to block a 2013 abortion bill, joins the group at a low point for reproductive rights in Texas. Full Story
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![Wendy Davis speaks at an event held by the Dallas Democratic Forum concerning the overturn of Roe v. Wade at the Arts District Mansion in Dallas on June 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas abortion funds likely safe from prosecution, federal judge rules
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman dismissed Attorney General Ken Paxton from the lawsuit, ruling he had no authority to enforce Texas’ abortion bans beyond state lines. Full Story
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![Dr. Franz Theard, looks at a patient's sonogram at his abortion clinic, Women's Reproductive Clinic of New Mexico in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Jan. 13, 2023. Dr. Theard's abortion clinic, less than a mile from Texas, where abortion is illegal since the landmark legal case Roe v. Wade which protected a woman's constitutional right to an abortion was overturned, provides medical abortions for women who are flying and driving hundreds of miles across Texas.]()
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Federal judge dismisses Wendy Davis’ challenge to Texas abortion ban
Davis, best known for her 13-hour filibuster of a 2013 abortion bill, sought to block the state’s ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. A federal judge found Davis had not “articulated a credible, imminent threat.” Full Story
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![A sign advertising an organization that offers services to abortion patients is on the wall at Whole Woman’s Health of Austin on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues to block Biden’s abortion medication guidance
In July, the Biden administration reminded pharmacies of their obligation to not discriminate in filling prescriptions, including for abortion-inducing drugs, many of which can be used to treat other conditions as well. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to supporters Paxton Watch Party Barn in Plano after being re-elected on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texans brace for the end of nearly three years of pandemic Medicaid coverage
Millions of Texans — mostly children, young adults and new moms — stayed on Medicaid for the duration of the pandemic. The state will soon start reevaluating eligibility. Full Story
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![Alexandria Robertson shows her daughters Novah and Kellani-Ari Wilson ultrasound pictures from her pregnancies in their home in Manor, TX on Feb. 2, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune