I Have Some (Autonomy) News to Share

This is technically old news but it might still be news to some of you! In early June, my friend and colleague Garnet Henderson and I launched Autonomy News, a worker-owned reproductive justice news outlet.

On Autonomy News, we write about bodily autonomy and attacks by politicians and activists who want to undermine it. Our work spans abortion, birth control, pregnancy, childbirth, adoption, gender-affirming care, and more.

We will publish original reporting and sharp analysis—pieces that will be edited and fact-checked by a freelance editor—as well as weekly news roundups sent on Mondays to summarize the hellscape, and highlight our own work. (You can choose upon signup if you want to be emailed only the roundup, the roundup plus original stories, or to receive no emails.)

The site, like this one, is hosted on Ghost, and you can read more here about why two veteran journalists went independent.

We will never paywall our work, and you can support us with a paid subscription to keep it free for everyone. We'll be funded by readers, and will also seek grants and tax-deductible gifts through our fiscal sponsor, Tiny News Collective. 

If you previously supported me with a paid subscription to Body Politic, thank you! I will keep posting here periodically with links to my stories across the internet, but I plan to self-publish original work only on Autonomy News. (I have canceled any paid Body Politic subscriptions so they don't renew, and I am turning off paid subs on this newsletter.) Instead, please consider subscribing to Autonomy News or dropping us a one-time tip.

You can follow Autonomy News on Instagram, Bluesky, and Tiktok.

Check out some of our work since we've launched:

The Plot to Effectively Ban Abortion Nationwide Is Unfolding Before Our Eyes

Lawmakers and activists are working to shutter clinics and restrict access to abortion pills. The end result would be catastrophic.

Autonomy NewsSusan Rinkunas

Planned Parenthood May Allow Affiliates to Drop Abortion Care to Avoid ‘Defunding’

On Tuesday, the organization informed regional groups that they can apply for waivers to stop providing abortions in an attempt to keep Medicaid funding.

Autonomy NewsGarnet Henderson

The ‘Soft Eugenics’ Presidency

The Trump administration’s alarming rhetoric about immigrants and disabled people is dangerous given the history of forced sterilization in the U.S., advocates say.

Autonomy NewsSusan Rinkunas

Arkansas AG Threatens to Sue Sites for Providing Info About Abortion Pills

One of the sites, Plan C, is a well-known resource for information about medication abortion.

Autonomy NewsSusan Rinkunas

OBGYNs Sent ‘Highly Biased’ Survey By Group That Targeted Abortion Pills

A group of anti-abortion doctors claims it’s researching the “moral and professional complexity” of abortion. Their study raises red flags following other junk science and retractions.

Autonomy NewsGarnet Henderson

And because I am still very much freelance, here are a few other pieces I've written since March:

The Right’s Gory Plan to Gut State Abortion Protections

Conservatives are planning to weaponize the bloody realities of medical care to roll back hard-won rights.

The New RepublicSusan Rinkunas

Planned Parenthood’s ‘Devastating’ Plan to Shutter in Manhattan

“It just feels like we are waving a white flag.”

The CutSusan Rinkunas

Far-Right Group That Helped Overturn ‘Roe’ Is Officially Going After Birth Control

Alliance Defending Freedom is urging the Trump administration to cut ties with a top gynecologist group that recommends insurance has to cover IUDs and emergency contraception.

JezebelSusan Rinkunas

The Surprising Reason Nevada Hasn’t Repealed a 1911 Abortion Ban

The Silver State is the only one that criminalizes self-managed abortion. A bill to change that went nowhere.

The New RepublicSusan Rinkunas

GOP nominee for Virginia governor tries to distance herself from anti-abortion past

Winsome Earle-Sears has called abortion ‘genocide’ and suggested equivalence between consenting to sex and consenting to pregnancy

The GuardianSusan Rinkunas

SCOTUS Says Human Rights Should Be Left to the Same ‘Democratic Process’ it Undermined

Read more here.

Democracy DocketOpinion

Opinion | Lisa Murkowski’s megabill vote was everything people hate about politicians

What the senator claimed was a difficult decision was just a case of backroom deals and abandoned principles.

MSNBCSusan Rinkunas, co-founder of Autonomy News

The Trump Administration Is Staffing Up With Nationwide Abortion Ban Zealots

Conservative activists have spent years pushing a fringe legal theory that could ban abortion nationwide. A pair of newly appointed White House lawyers could do exactly that.

Balls and StrikesBalls & Strikes

Texas Man Sues California Doctor to Try to Prevent Girlfriend from Getting Abortion Pills

Notorious lawyer Jonathan Mitchell is representing another man upset about his partner’s alleged abortion.

JezebelSusan Rinkunas

Ohio Planned Parenthood affiliate rejects Medicaid amid fears over Trump cuts

Group fears administration could try to claw back Medicaid payments if judge’s ruling on reimbursements is overturned

The GuardianSusan Rinkunas

That's all for now!