abortion rights Archives

Who are the the Christian Dominionists backing conservative candidates?

A once-obscure, charismatic religious group that believes Christians should dominate business, government and culture is growing in political power locally and nationally. What does that mean for democracy?

by Cynthia McCormick Hibbert November 15, 2022

What do the midterm results say about the future of abortion rights?

Big victories for abortion rights advocates were tempered by key Republican wins down-ballot during this year’s midterm elections. “The fight at each individual state level is not over by any means,” says Martha Davis, university distinguished professor of law at Northeastern.

by Cody Mello-Klein November 10, 2022

Northeastern student invited to the White House to discuss reproductive rights with Kamala Harris

Ren Birnholz flew to Washington, D.C., to take part in the discussions on Oct. 14, which served to explore ways of protecting reproductive freedoms in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

by Tanner Stening October 26, 2022

Pregnant Texas woman fighting HOV lane ticket because her unborn baby was a passenger ‘might be confused,’ Northeastern expert says

Perhaps, the ambiguity of the post-Roe reality made a Texas woman think that her unborn baby can count as the second person in a car. But Northeastern law professor Jeremy Paul does not find it funny as many anti-choice supporters wanted the Supreme Court to go further and bestow personhood on a fetus for decades.

by Alena Kuzub July 13, 2022

white haired man wearing purple tie sitting at a large desk

Will Biden and Democrats be able to protect abortion rights through legislation?

President Biden’s executive order aimed at protecting access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare services nationwide comes at a time when democratic voters are frustrated and are looking for bold steps from the Democratic Party, Northeastern political science experts say. However, a return to Roe v. Wade level of protection is only possible through a new federal law.

by Alena Kuzub July 7, 2022

protest sign that says 'keep your laws off their bodies'

Northeastern professor says, ‘In the end, Roe and Casey will be reaffirmed'

Reproductive rights will, in a long drawn-out political and legal struggle, eventually win out over the anti-abortion cause, according to Northeastern experts.

by Tanner Stening June 30, 2022

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill Sept. 4, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to fill the vacancy on the court left by retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Did the conservative justices commit perjury? Here’s what they said under oath about Roe v. Wade

If anything, the justices’ statements were “deliberately misleading,” says Dan Urman, director of the Law and Public Policy Minor at Northeastern, who teaches courses on the Supreme Court.

by Tanner Stening June 26, 2022

Abortion-rights protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Northeastern faculty experts react to Roe v. Wade decision

The purpose of the Constitution, insofar as it grants and protects basic rights and liberties, should be understood in relation to “what the text is trying to accomplish,” not “what’s actually in the text,” argues Jeremy R. Paul, a professor of law and former dean of Northeastern’s School of Law.

by Tanner Stening June 24, 2022

Pro-choice movements celebrate outside in support of the decriminalization of abortions from the penal code, outside the Constitutional Court in Bogota, Colombia on February 21, 2022. Abortions were decriminalized after 8 hours of debate leading now access for pregnant women to access them up to week 24. Photo by Chepa Beltran/Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Overturning Roe v. Wade could impact how other countries view abortion rights

As the Supreme Court’s final decision on whether it will overturn Roe v. Wade looms, a question remains: Will other countries follow the same path as the United States by restricting or banning abortions, or will this be an incentive for them to move in the opposite direction?

by Morgyn Joubert May 23, 2022

Abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court of the United States Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, DC.

Plain and simple: Abortion rights is a healthcare story

Coverage of the Supreme Court’s reported decision to strike down abortion rights should deal with the effects that will be borne by women and other people who need reproductive healthcare, says Meg Heckman, a Northeastern assistant professor who researches journalism from a feminist point of view.

by Ian Thomsen May 3, 2022

abortion rights