
The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overrule the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade, according to a leaked draft opinion first reported by Politico. The drafted decision is not binding and does not change Americans’ access to abortion unless states take the unlikely step of recognizing it as the rule of law. With compounding regulations and ongoing efforts to enact new restrictions in different states, the current landscape of abortion laws is confusing and time-consuming for pregnant people to navigate. Despite patchwork access in the South and Midwest, abortion is still legal across the country — but increasingly, access depends on where you live. Our interactive map highlights five main types of abortion restrictions in all 50 states.

The draft abortion ruling that shook the states
While the Supreme Court justices before now contorted themselves to find common legal ground on this most controversial of issues, the leaked draft opinion that would overturn the landmark abortion decision in Roe V. Wade was anything but mealy-mouthed. But what should we make of all of this? Does this unofficial, unauthorized document even matter? Here are five ideas to keep in mind as we continue to make sense of what has happened and of what may lie ahead.

With the Supreme Court set to overturn Roe v. Wade, New York prepares to become an abortion safe haven
In the wake of a leaked decision by Justice Alito gutting abortion rights, New York state lawmakers have introduced measures to expand access for the expected influx of abortion seekers.

Why deaths by suicide often go uncounted in states’ maternal mortality studies
The U.S. maternal mortality rate in 2020 reached a high never before seen since tracking began. But most states aren’t counting suicides and overdoses as a part of their formal pregnancy-related death review, which means the maternal mortality rate could be even higher.

Analysis: Where democracy falters, so do reproductive rights
Reproductive rights don’t exist in a vacuum: They are inextricably linked to democratic institutions, with threats to one reinforcing threats to the other. As countries like Poland, Brazil, Hungary, and the United States face threats to their democracies, so do the women of those countries face threats to their reproductive rights.

DA won’t drop charges against Manhattan woman charged with murder who says she acted in self-defense
Tracy McCarter won a small concession from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Monday in a case alleging she murdered her estranged husband. But the DA’s office stopped short of dropping a murder charge for an act she says was in self-defense.

Do police help or hurt domestic violence survivors? New York City council members take a stand
Tiffany Cabán and Mercedes Narcisse plunge New York City’s legislature into a fierce debate dividing domestic violence advocates about the role of law enforcement in getting help for survivors.

The South’s abortion battle has a new front: telemedicine
A new bill making its way through the Georgia statehouse would criminalize access to abortion pills by telemedicine — a common, safe, easy way to end early pregnancies that the federal government first allowed last year.

‘Every shift, we’re just barely making it’: What nurses want us to know about the South’s COVID crisis
The pandemic didn’t create the nursing plight in the South, but burnout and low pay have made it worse.

Trauma can be hard to talk about. It can also be hard to hear: Reporter’s notebook
Jessica Washington shares how she developed relationships with sources while investigating how Native mothers experience the Minnesota foster care system.

Why are Latina moms in New York reporting such high levels of anxiety and depression?
The pandemic’s emotional strains are falling especially heavy on communities hit hardest by COVID, unemployment and child care challenges.

‘Never just a wife or widow’: Reflecting on Coretta Scott King and the women of the civil rights movement
As the world honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., journalist Lottie Joiner, former editor of the NAACP’s The Crisis, reflects on the role of women’s leadership in the civil rights…

COVID ‘crisis moment’ for families with children in NYC pre-K and 3K programs
Ten-day quarantines are forcing families to keep young kids home, causing chaos for those in need of child care — regardless of negative COVID test results.

‘Kill the Indian … save the man’: Tracing the government’s long, racist history of uprooting Native children
The challenges Native American families currently face under Minnesota’s child welfare system are echoes of a racist past. Here’s how more than two centuries of federal policies aimed at annihilating Native culture set the stage…

‘Your mom is a bad mom’: Racist legacy of harm haunts Minnesota’s foster care system, Native American mothers say
For many Native mothers, the fear of having their children ripped away from them and the ripple effects of generations of forced family separations remain omnipresent.

It’s not just Texas and Mississippi: Abortion access is in jeopardy across the Deep South
As all eyes turn to the landmark case before the Supreme Court, advocates in the South say they’ve been sounding the alarm on access for years.

Would you manage 70 children and a 15-ton vehicle for $18 an hour?
Take a new job or take your kids to school? A school bus driver shortage in suburban Minneapolis is leaving some moms with tough choices. It’s happening across America and is a trend that experts say won’t bode well for women and the economy.

Unsafe, Unsanitary Conditions Plague Child Care Centers at NYC Public Housing: Operators
Providers say they shoulder costs for heating and repairs — and have concerns for the children in their care. Some 400 child care centers are housed in buildings operated by New York City Housing Authority,…