US abortions rise for the first time in decades

In 2020, US abortion numbers rose for the first time since 1994; Saudi Arabian authorities seized rainbow-colored toys, clothes, and other items.  

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

US abortions rose in 2020, reversing years of decline

 E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

• US abortions rose between 2017 and 2020 after decades of decline, according to figures released Wednesday. [Associated Press / Carla K. Johnson]
• The data, from research group the Guttmacher Institute, found 930,160 patients received abortions in 2020, up 8 percent from 862,320 in 2017, the last time the survey was taken. In 2020, roughly 1 in 5 pregnancies ended in abortion. [USA Today / Cady Stanton]
• From 2017 to 2020, US birth rates declined 6 percent, meaning fewer people got pregnant, and a greater proportion of those who did got abortions. [Forbes / Siladitya Ray]
• Although abortions grew nationwide, the situation varied locally, likely due to varied state rules on Medicaid abortion coverage, uneven distribution of financial aid to help low-income people afford the procedure, and Covid-related care disruptions. [Guttmacher Institute]
• Another big factor: Trump administration rules preventing family planning organizations receiving Title X funding from mentioning abortion, causing Planned Parenthood and some states to withdraw from the program. [NYT / Pam Belluck]
• The numbers underscore the need for abortion care in the wake of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court could soon overturn Roe v. Wade. [NPR / Sarah McCammon]

Saudi Arabia cracks down on rainbow toys

• Saudi Arabian authorities are confiscating rainbow-colored toys, clothes, and other items which they say encourage homosexuality, according to state TV. [Guardian / Agence France-Presse]
• “We are giving a tour of the items that contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colors targeting the younger generation,” a Saudi Arabian official said. [Deutsche Welle]
• Saudi Arabia prohibits some forms of gender expression as well as gay sex, which, under its interpretation of Islamic law, is punishable by flogging or death. [BBC / David Gritten]
• The country recently banned Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which features a gay character, and Pixar’s upcoming Lightyear, which includes a gay kiss. [Variety / Nick Vivarelli and Patrick Frater]

The House Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, riot released footage Wednesday showing that a man who attended a Capitol tour with Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) returned for the attack the following day. [The Hill / Rebecca Beitsch]

• On Tuesday, New Mexico’s secretary of state asked the state Supreme Court to order that the state’s primary election results be certified. A GOP-led commission has refused to do so over bogus claims about Dominion voting machines. [AP / Morgan Lee]
• FDA advisers voted unanimously on Wednesday to authorize Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months to 5 years. Final approval from the CDC could come next Tuesday. [NBC News / Berkeley Lovelace Jr.]
• The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates 0.75 percent — the biggest increase since 1994 — to curb soaring inflation. [Yahoo Finance / Brian Cheung]

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“Rather than focusing on reducing abortion, policies should instead center the needs of people and protect their right to bodily autonomy.”

[US abortion report authors  / Guttmacher Institute]

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