Roe Reckonings: Abortion Access, Courtroom Battles & Political Flashpoints –

Welcome back to Roe Reckoning, your essential weekly round-up of abortion rights, rulings and resistance across the US. From landmark court decisions to federal funding battles, here’s everything you need to know about the reproductive justice fight this week.

⚖️ 1. Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down 1849 Abortion Ban

In a historic 4 –3 ruling on 2 July, Wisconsin’s high court declared the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban unenforceable. The law –written in 1849 –was deemed incompatible with modern legislation allowing abortion up to 20 weeks.
🗨️ “Abortion is legal in Wisconsin again.”

🚫 2. US Supreme Court Backs South Carolina in Defunding Planned Parenthood

On 26 June, the US. Supreme Court ruled that Medicaid recipients in South Carolina cannot sue over the state’s exclusion of Planned Parenthood from its public health programme. This weakens legal protections for low-income patients and paves the way for similar efforts in other Republican-led states.

💸 3. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Cuts Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding

Signed on 4 July, Donald Trump’s new federal budget includes a provision banning Medicaid reimbursements for any health provision to any provider that also offers abortions. Abortion services themselves are already excluded from Medicaid reimbursement.Planned Parenthood immediately challenged the law, and on 8 July, a judge granted a 14-day injunction blocking the cuts.
This move threatens vital reproductive and general healthcare services for millions.

🏛️ 4. Senate Democrats Spotlight Reproductive Rights on Dobbs Anniversary

To mark the third anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Senate Democrats, held a Capitol Hill hearing to highlightpatient stories and promote the Women’s Health Protection Act. Among the speakers was Nancy Davis, a Louisiana woman denied an abortion despite carrying a nonviable pregnancy.

📊 What This Means

Theme	What It Means
Judicial power is pivotal	Courts –state and federal –are now the main arbiters of abortion access.
Funding is a key battleground	Stripping providers of public funding is being used as an indirect restriction.
Stories shape policy	First-hand accounts from people denied care are shaping public opinion and putting pressure on lawmakers to act—for example, Nancy Davis, a Louisiana woman forced to carry a nonviable pregnancy, testified before Congress to push for federal abortion protections.

See you next week!