Pro-choice advocates are calling on voters to make access to abortion a big issue in the November midterm election. The countdown has begun; in less than a month, North Dakota's trigger law will make abortion illegal except to save the pregnant person's life, since the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade.

Amy Jacobson, executive director of Prairie Action ND, said a lot of North Dakotans want access to abortion care.

"North Dakota voters rejected an abortion ban in 2014 by a two-to-one margin. Those are Republican voters defeating an abortion ban in our state," Jacobson pointed out. "I would just really call on them to reflect on where their party is going and what this means for the people of our state. "

The state Legislature, citing religious and moral objections, tried to add an abortion ban to the state constitution, but the accompanying ballot measure failed in 2014.

In mid-May, pro-choice protesters held "Ban Off Our Bodies" rallies in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot. More are planned for early July. The state's only abortion provider, the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, announced plans to move across the border to Moorhead, Minnesota in the near future.

Jacobson laments what she calls an ultraconservative takeover of the Republican Party.

"This decision really comes from the right-wing majority of extremist judges that have undermined the fundamental right to make our own decisions about our health care, our bodies, and our families," Jacobson asserted.

North Dakota already has a ban on abortion consultations via telehealth. Jacobson predicts when the next legislative session begins in January, lawmakers will introduce bills to further restrict abortion, by making it illegal to travel to another state for an abortion or to help someone else do so.

In Ohio, women's political voices are facing a significant challenge, as a new analysis by the Center for American Women and Politics revealed a stark disparity in campaign contributions between men and women.

The study, which examined donations to major party candidates across 10 states, found men significantly out-give women, potentially leading to the underrepresentation of women's interests in politics.

Kira Sanbonmatsu, a researcher at the Center for American Women and Politics, explained the findings.

"Men are much more likely than women to be providing the funds that are fueling state candidates," Sanbonmatsu reported. "This means that women have fewer resources to get their voices heard."

Sanbonmatsu added the financial disparity has significant implications in Ohio, where women, especially in the Republican Party, remain underrepresented. Despite some progress, women in Ohio's legislature still struggle to achieve parity with men, largely due to financial constraints.

Sanbonmatsu said women, particularly from marginalized communities, often lack the resources to self-finance their campaigns, making it even harder to compete with better-funded male candidates.

A deeper look into Ohio's political landscape revealed most women running for office are Democrats, leaving a significant gap in representation among Republican women. Sanbonmatsu noted the trend mirrors national patterns and highlighted the challenges women face in accessing the financial networks necessary to support their campaigns.

"It's not enough for us to say women should run," Sanbonmatsu emphasized. "Do they have the resources to be successful in their campaigns?"

The study argued closing the funding gap is crucial for achieving equal representation for women in Ohio's political system. Increasing financial contributions from women and providing stronger support for female candidates could help create a more level playing field, ensuring women's voices have a meaningful effect on shaping the state's future.


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As the general election in November gets closer, more Americas are showing interest in getting involved in the electoral process.

There is a new energy around the election now that President Joe Biden has dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee.

The PoliChic Engagement Fund is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization in the state, focused on engaging more women in the democratic process.

Executive Director Christina Sanders said it teaches women how to effect change locally, statewide, and nationally.

"It's not that democracy isn't working, it's that when they folded a lot of people into democracy - including Black women - they learned about voting," said Sanders, "but the other parts - the participation - there are still gaps. And I believe that the tools, for like how to fully participate are going to be helpful for them to be able to really have a stake in America."

Through hyperlocal civic clubs in their communities, volunteers hold voter registration events, and work to increase participation in local school board and city council elections.

In addition to informing their neighbors about local ballot issues - volunteers provide information on polling locations, absentee ballots for college students and those serving overseas, and election protection.

Sanders said they also work to combat election misinformation.

"Making sure that they not only are involved, but they're also informed with the right information, and really avoiding misinformation," said Sanders. "And then I think for women making sure those in your household and those who you know that your people are educated, they're informed, they know about the election, and they know about the facts."

Sanders said they have seen an increase in women wanting to get involved now that Harris is in the race. Local civic clubs have been established in 119 counties across the state.

Wyoming ranks 42nd in the U.S. for women's health and reproductive care, according to a new report - and some are urging lawmakers to make changes.

According to a new state scorecard from the Commonwealth Fund, Wyoming ranks among the bottom 10 states on multiple indicators for women's health care.

The state is especially low for rates of preventive measures, including cervical and breast cancer screenings and routine checkups.

Rates of maternal deaths and infant mortalities in Wyoming are on par with national averages - but the state's birth rate is going down.

Rebekah Hazelton, director of the Wyoming Women's Foundation, said that's been hard on rural hospitals.

"Those small maternity care centers are not really receiving enough births in their care," said Hazelton, "in order to keep up their core competencies, and have enough staff as well."

Hazelton said that makes it economically challenging for hospitals to provide maternal health services. There were just over 6,000 births in Wyoming in 2022 - a 20% decrease from 2012.

Another low score is on women's health coverage, access and affordability.

Hazelton said access to specialists can be minimal in a rural state. And then there's health coverage - Wyoming is one of only ten states that hasn't yet expanded Medicaid.

"That leaves a significant amount of the population in the gap," said Hazelton, "not able to pay for health care out of pocket and not able to access health insurance."

Hazelton said she hopes the Health and Labor interim committee discusses potential solutions at its upcoming meeting - including training and certifying more nurse-midwives, and improving relations between hospitals, lay-midwives, and doulas.




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