Abortions are up in the US. It's a complicated picture as women turn to pills, travel

Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It's now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the...

In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty. But she's infuriated by Tennessee's meager social services, which leave her and many other moms struggling...

Takeaways from AP's report on social safety nets in states that ban abortion

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — States with restrictive abortion laws generally have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children, according to recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press. Tennessee is an example of how this plays out. Tennessee residents of...

New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns

Artificial intelligence. Abortion. Guns. Marijuana. Minimum wages. Name a hot topic, and chances are good there's a new law about it taking effect in 2025 in one state or another. Many of the laws launching in January are a result of legislation passed this year....

After fighting virus, storms and Republicans, departing North Carolina Gov. Cooper focuses on wins

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is leaving his job after eight years in which the southern Democrat picked his moments against a Republican-dominated legislature, winning big on Medicaid expansion and clean energy while falling short in fights over private-school vouchers and...

Abortion opponents shift focus to pills with lawsuits, proposed laws and possible federal action

Opponents of abortion are increasingly focusing on restricting access to pills, which are the most common way to end a pregnancy in the U.S. This month, the Texas attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor, saying she violated Texas law by prescribing...

Vatican advances beatification process for Belgium's king who abdicated rather than approve abortion

ROME (AP) — The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion. The Holy See’s saint-making office on Dec. 17 established a...

A judge says Missouri's abortion ban isn’t enforceable, but there's no start date for abortions

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge ruled Friday that Missouri’s near-total abortion ban is unenforceable under a new constitutional amendment, though Planned Parenthood said the decision is still not sufficient for it to resume providing abortions in the state. Jackson County...

A judge says Missouri’s abortion ban isn't enforceable under new amendment, ensuring legal abortions in the state

Regional court faults El Salvador for denying a mother's access to abortion, violating her rights

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Friday found El Salvador’s government responsible for violating the rights of a young Salvadoran woman who was denied an abortion of her anencephalic fetus in a country with a total ban on abortions. The...