Eight More Abortion Arrests in Texas

10.8.25

Click to skip ahead: Attacks on Birth Control has an update on the $10 million in contraception the Trump administration wants destroyed. In the States, news from South Carolina, Missouri, and more. Ballot Box checks in with New Jersey and Virginia. Eight More Abortion Arrests in Texas has a troubling update courtesy of Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the Courts, good news for teen pregnancy prevention programs, bad news for mifepristone. Clinic Watch has updates on California, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Wisconsin. And You Love to See It shares a profile of an incredible Alabama activist to lift your spirits.

---

Attacks on Birth Control

The Trump administration is really hoping Americans have forgotten about the $10 million worth of birth control sitting in a Belgian warehouse, waiting to be destroyed. No such luck!

The stockpile of IUDs, pills, and hormonal implants was meant to be distributed to women abroad, but the Trump administration wants to burn it instead. Why? They claim the contraceptives are actually abortifacients.

Abortion, Every Day first flagged this last month, noting that a U.S.A.I.D. spokesperson called the stockpile “abortifacient birth control.” Days later, we confirmed that this wasn’t just some gaffe or a single agency gone rogue: a State Department spokesperson also referred to the stockpile as “certain abortifacient birth control commodities” back in July. And when international humanitarian groups offered to buy the contraception to save it from being destroyed, the U.S. government said no—citing the Global Gag Rule, which bars NGOs receiving U.S. funds from even mentioning abortion.

That’s a big deal! As I’ve written before, this appears to be the Trump administration’s first official policy move to redefine contraceptives as ‘abortion’. Why isn’t this front page news? I have no idea.

Right now, the contraception is in a kind of bureaucratic purgatory. Because the birth control hasn’t expired yet, the government of Belgium won’t issue an incineration license. But the countries meant to receive it—like Malawi, Bangladesh, the D.R. Congo, and Kenya—can only accept medications with a certain amount of shelf life left. That means the more time that passes, the less likely those countries will be able to use it.

And that’s exactly the plan. Marcel van Valen, Head of Supply Chain at the International Planned Parenthood Federation, told AED that the Trump administration thinks if they can wait it out, maybe voters will forget all about the stockpile.

“Unless a practical solution is found urgently, the U.S. government may exploit this gap, allowing the products to sit until they technically fall below import thresholds and then justifying their destruction under the pretext of regulatory compliance. The longer this grey zone continues, the greater the risk that the U.S. government will hide behind import rules to get its way and burn the stock once time runs out.”

So how do we help? In addition to contacting your reps, we need more eyes on this story. Reporters, take note: there are zero mainstream articles pointing out that the White House now considers birth control a form of abortion. You don’t even have to credit AED—just get the word out!

In the States

Speaking of extremists who think birth control is actually abortion, let’s talk about South Carolina Sen. Richard Cash—the guy behind SB 323. Among other horrors, this fully batshit bill would ban all abortion, criminalize abortion patients, and outlaw some forms of birth control by redefining what contraception means.

In response to the massive (and understandable) backlash from citizens, Cash has insisted his bill wouldn’t actually impact contraception. He even got visibly annoyed when questioned about it during last week’s hearing.

But here’s the thing: Abortion, Every Day has learned that Cash once wrote an entire pamphlet calling oral contraceptives “chemical abortion.” In it, he claimed that “all forms of the birth control pill” kill a “human being.”

'Chemical Abortion', Pastors for Life

719KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Unless by some miracle there’s another Richard Cash in South Carolina who worked with Pastors for Life, the Republican legislator wrote that birth control pills “induce changes in the uterine lining so that if conception does occur, implantation is prevented, thus inducing an abortion.”

This banger was my favorite, though:

“Over time, a woman using birth control pills runs the definite and intentional risk of killing one or more of her children as a result. Therefore, it is morally unacceptable to be on the pill while engaging in sexual intercourse.”

Damn, I’m basically a serial killer. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, it’s no surprise that Cash is a total maniac—this is a guy who was arrested multiple times for protesting outside of abortion clinics with the notorious wackos at Operation Rescue. So he hasn’t exactly hidden his anti-abortion bonafides. Still, Cash is claiming he defined ‘pregnancy’ and ‘contraception’ in the bill so that birth control won’t be criminalized.

But when OBGYN Dr. Jessica Tarleton asked him why, then, he bothered to redefine contraception at all, his answer was telling: “Well, you don’t get to ask me—I get to ask you.”

Yeah, how dare a mere woman question his almighty judgment. Doesn’t she know he writes pamphlets?

Here’s the disturbing truth: opposing birth control isn’t a fringe position in the anti-abortion movement—it’s the norm. (Students for Life even has a whole webpage dedicated to calling birth control pills “abortifacients.”) Most Americans just don’t know this, because mainstream media rarely connects those dots.

So for South Carolina’s sake, let’s be clear: SB 323 would ban contraception. That’s the point. And Richard Cash isn’t fooling anyone.

Missouri Republicans are taking a victory lap this week after a judge approved their biased ballot summary. They know this ruling makes it easier to trick voters into enshrining a near-total abortion ban in the state constitution when the issue is on the ballot next year.

Click here for a refresher, but here’s the short version: Republicans know abortion is popular, so they’re trying to make their ballot measure ban sound as pro-choice as possible. They’re even calling it ‘Amendment 3’, the same name as the abortion rights amendment that passed in November.

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins called the judge’s decision a win for “Missourians [to] vote their values without out-of-state interests manipulating the process.” Pretty rich coming from a movement bankrolled by national anti-abortion groups!

Also in Missouri, a judge just dismissed a lawsuit to repeal the state’s forced parental involvement law. Circuit Judge Sarah Castle didn’t rule on the merits—she said the group that brought the suit, Right By You, lacked standing because they’re based in California.

We first told you about that suit back in April, arguing that we should proactively protect young people not just because it’s the right thing to do—but because teens are the canaries in the coal mine. What happens to them today comes for the rest of us tomorrow.

Quick hits:

• Blue Ridge Abortion Fund tells WHRO that Virginia is “holding the line for the South”;

• Maine Democrats are using the anniversary of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to remind voters that Republican Senator Susan Collins helped pave the road to overturn Roe;

• And pro-choice activist Nicole Jellinek is running for a state House seat in Rhode Island, where she’s the chair of the state’s Coalition for Reproductive Freedom.

Ballot Box

Let’s take a trip to New Jersey, where abortion has become a defining issue in the governor’s race. As the New Jersey Monitor points out today, both candidates—Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli—say they support abortion rights. But while Sherrill actually is pro-choice, Ciattarelli is a PICO—Pro-choice In Campaign Only.

Like so many Republicans right now, Ciattarelli is rebranding himself as ‘pro-choice’ to preempt voter backlash. But the rhetoric doesn’t match the reality: he supports a 20-week ban and wants to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood, redirecting the money to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. Classic PICO shit. (I’ll make this term happen if it’s the last thing I do!)

One candidate who is not convincing anyone about being even remotely pro-choice is Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. The Republican gubernatorial hopeful has said she supports a total abortion ban, called abortion “genocide,” and argued that women who have sex “already made a choice.”

And today, it somehow gets worse. Meidas Touch unearthed 2022 audio of Earle-Sears appearing to threaten abortion rights supporters, saying: “Murder is murder. And one day it’s going to be your turn.”

Fucking yikes!

Eight More Abortion Arrests in Texas

A truly disturbing update from Texas: Attorney General Ken Paxton boasted today about the arrests of eight more people connected to Maria Margarita Rojas—the Houston-area midwife who became the first person charged under Texas’s criminal abortion law in March. Rojas faces 15 felony counts for allegedly providing two abortions.

The new arrests were announced in a Paxton press release, which should be taken not just with a grain of salt but several big heaps of it. The Republican AG accuses the individuals of “providing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without proper medical licenses,” making a point to note that “several” are not U.S. citizens.

In fact, you’ll note a trend over who Paxton decided to target; those arrested include: Gerardo Otero Aguero, Yaimara Hernandez Alvarez, Alina Valeron Leon, Yhonder Lebrun Acosta, Jose Manuel Cendan Ley (previously arrested with Rojas in March), Liunet Grandales Estrada, Dalia Coromoto Yanez, and Sabiel Bosch Gongora.

As AED pointed out in March, Rojas served a predominantly low-income, non-English-speaking community. And at a time of escalating xenophobia, conservative media headlines quickly leaned into racism, declaring Rojas’ colleagues “illegal” immigrants, without any evidence beyond nonwhite last names.

Even anti-abortion groups got in on it—Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America labeled Rojas an “illegal abortionist”—a term we haven’t seen them use before. After all, when a white abortion provider was indicted, the organization simply called her an “abortionist,” sans “illegal.”

Paxton’s word choice in his press release is similarly striking:

“This cabal of abortion-loving radicals has been running illegal clinics staffed with unlicensed individuals who endangered the very people they pretended to help. Beyond being illegal, it is evil. These dens of fake doctors will not be allowed to operate in Texas. Those responsible will be held accountable.”

Jenna Hudson, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, tells AED, “It’s no coincidence that he is targeting Rojas and these clinics amid the widespread anti-immigrant sentiment nationwide.” Rafa Kidvai, director of If/When/How’s Repro Legal Defense Fund, agreed—saying that Texas is “using every tool at their disposal to paint people who are a part of and serve immigrant populations as villains.”

And criminalizing midwives doesn’t just endanger individuals—it destabilizes entire communities. “Midwives are often hubs for their community’s health,” Kidvai said. “Removing providers who serve people with vulnerable immigration statuses is especially cruel.”

As the cases against Rojas and her associates move forward, it’s important to name what this is really about: stoking fear. Texas is trying to make an example out of anyone who dares to help someone access care. And the targeting of Rojas and her associates, in particular, advances racist, right-wing cultural panics about supposedly dangerous, criminal immigrants—while stigmatizing pregnancy-related care from midwives or alternative health sources.

These eight arrests also come at a time when pregnancy-related criminalization is sharply on the rise across the country. So if you’re looking for a way to support those facing pregnancy-related criminal charges, consider donating to If/When/How’s Repro Legal Defense Fund.

In the Courts

Okay, we’ve got some good news and bad news.

The good news: A judge ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood affiliates today, blocking an HHS policy that would have forced teen pregnancy prevention programs to comply with Trump’s bizarre executive orders on DEI and gender issues.

This summer, the HHS announced that programs would have to ensure “that taxpayer dollars no longer support content that undermines parental rights, promotes radical gender ideology, or exposes children to sexually explicit material under the banner of public health.”

Affiliates sued to block the guidance, rightly pointing out that they can’t really prevent pregnancy if the administration won’t let them talk about sex. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell agreed, ruling that the policy was too vague. We love to see it.

The bad news: Louisiana has officially filed a lawsuit against the FDA over mifepristone, seeking to restrict access to the abortion medication. We already knew that Attorney General Liz Murrill was hot-to-trot on this—she just tried to join a similar suit brought by Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri. That case was just transferred out of a Texas court and put in front of Missouri judges, so now Murrill is bringing her own suit.

We’ll be looking through all the court documents, but it’s safe to say that Murrill’s arguments are likely similar—if not identical—to the motion she made when she tried to join the first mifepristone lawsuit. (Remember, that’s also the same motion where Murrill let it slip that she issued a second arrest warrant for a shield state abortion provider.)

We’ll provide details in tomorrow’s newsletter, but expect to see a whole lot of fake science in this one.

Clinic Watch

We’ve been keeping track of the clinic fallout from Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’, which bars Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health care clinics from getting Medicaid funding—here’s the latest:

🟠 I’m sorry to say that Planned Parenthood Mar Monte in California laid off 15 staffers last month. This comes a few months after the group permanently shuttered five clinics in Northern California: locations in South San Francisco, San Mateo, Gilroy, Westside/Santa Cruz, and Madera. Stacy Cross, president of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, said, “We really feel like we are in the fight of our life.”

🔴 Planned Parenthood also temporarily closed one of two clinics in Memphis, Tennessee this week, thanks to the ‘defunding’ provision in Republicans’ ‘big, beautiful bill’.

🟡 Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England in Connecticut says that even without Medicaid reimbursements, the group will continue providing care to patients regardless of their ability to pay.

Still, “the reality is that this is just unsustainable if the state does not step in,” says Gretchen Raffa from Planned Parenthood Votes! Connecticut. State legislators have already allocated $800,000 in extra funding to the group, but they need over $11 million to fully cover the lost Medicaid funds.

🔴 Last month, Planned Parenthood clinics in Wisconsin halted their abortion services, hoping the move would allow them to keep getting Medicaid reimbursements to serve their low-income patients. As a result, there are now only two clinics providing procedural abortions in the state, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: Care for All Community Clinic and Affiliated Medical Services, both of which have had to hire extra staff to keep up with the demand.

The good news is that Illinois is stepping up to help: State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz writes in Crain’s Chicago Business that “our providers are keeping their doors open not because it’s easy, but because it’s the right thing to do.”

“This fight is not over. Congress must act to repeal the Defund Provision. And in the meantime, we will continue to do what Illinois has always done in moments of crisis: rise to the occasion and lead with our shared humanity.”

And Adrienne White-Faines, president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, called it “unconscionable” that clinics are “being forced to choose between serving Medicaid patients, those most in need, and offering abortion care.”

You Love to See It

Courtesy of Charity Rachel/Magnum Foundation/Mother Jones.

I think we could all use a bit of a palate-cleanser, so consider checking out this really beautiful Mother Jones profile of Alabama artist-activist Michelle Browder. Browder has been giving human rights tours of Montgomery for years, focusing on the city’s 12-foot bronze statue of James Marion Sims—lauded as the “father of modern gynecology” despite his legacy of straight-up torturing Black women and girls.

Browder also created an incredible monument (seen above) called, “Mothers of Gynecology.” From Mother Jones:

“All three statues are covered with discarded objects— bicycle parts, cutlery, scissors, screwdrivers, medical instruments—and names of brilliant Black women, cut from scraps of metal, that they wear on their skin like jewelry and scars. ‘Their backs are straightened,’ Browder shows me, stroking the Andrika [sic] symbols for strength and friendship that she welded onto the girls’ spines. ‘A lot of times, you see enslaved women in photos with their backs bent. I didn’t want that. I wanted them to be upright, strong.’”

Make some time to read the full profile and remember that, despite the horrors of the world, there is incredible activism and art fighting back all across the country.