American Civil Liberties Union

Dr. George Tiller drove a jeep with armor plating and a bombproof glass and undercarriage to and from work every day. His clinic, where he practiced medicine for decades, was a fortress. His out-of-town patients, many of whom were facing catastrophic pregnancies, could no longer stay at one local hotel because it was targeted by protesters. In early May 2009, someone cut the power to the security cameras and outdoor lights at the clinic and drilled holes in the roof. On May 31, 2009, Tiller was gunned down in the lobby of his church as he handed out flyers before the service. He was wearing his bulletproof vest at the time.

(Cross-posted to RH Reality Check.)

In light of ongoing efforts to restrict women’s access to abortion in health care reform, it is sometimes easy to forget that many women already face nearly insurmountable obstacles to obtaining abortion care. This is particularly true for the more than 200,000 servicewomen currently serving in the armed forces, as well as military dependents. These women face not only a funding ban, which prohibits military insurance from covering the cost of any abortion, except for those necessary to save a woman’s life, but a ban on using military facilities, as well: Even if they pay with their own money, and no federal funds are used, servicewomen and dependents cannot obtain abortions in military treatment facilities, unless they disclose that the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.

In a legal challenge brought by the ACLU, an Illinois state court yesterday issued an emergency order blocking a law that prevents teens from having an abortion unless they notify a parent or go to court. This victory ensures that teens throughout Illinois will continue to be safe and able to obtain the care that they need.

I'm going to do things a little backwards here... Ordinarily, I would give you what is called a time served sentence, and...your time in prison would effectively end today....[However] I'm inclined to keep you in jail, given your medical condition and the medical condition for your child, to prevent your child from being born HIV positive. And my inclination is to sentence you until September 15, which is a time after your due date, so that you can continue to receive the necessary medicine up to the time of your delivery.

— The Honorable John A. Woodcock, Jr., District Court of Maine, May 14, 2009