Each week, Rewire News Group editors scour headlines nationwide—from lawsuits over abortion access to LGBTQ+ rights—to bring you the most urgent news in reproductive justice. Here’s what you need to know from the past week’s biggest stories.
Conservatives consider blocking entry of pregnant travelers to U.S.
Since SCOTUS dashed their hopes of ending birthright citizenship, anti-immigrant Republicans are pursuing a new idea: barring pregnant travelers. Right-wingers on X have been posting about ending “birth tourism,” and on Fox News Trump advisor Steven Miller recently said of the chatter, “You have to think very carefully about who you let into the country, even on a temporary basis.” So far, this immigration Plan B is just talk—not policy. And as writer Laura Basset notes, enacting it would be awkward to say the least: “Would ICE be performing ultrasounds at the airport?”
Democrats scramble to replace Platner in Maine
Democrats have until July 27 at 5 p.m. to submit a nominee to run for Senate in Maine following the collapse of candidate Graham Platner’s campaign. Platner ended his Senate bid last week following a sexual assault allegation. Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, won last month’s primary despite concern over an alleged Nazi tattoo and a dubious dating history. Dems hoped the populist could beat Republican Susan Collins and boost their chances of winning the Senate; Planned Parenthood endorsed him for his pro-choice views. But after an ex-girlfriend told Politico that Platner raped her, his support vanished. Platner denies the claim, and his withdrawal speech was defiant.
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AI skews conversations around abortion, researchers find
AI may be distorting how people talk about abortion online, reports the Guardian. A new study from Oxford and Potsdam universities finds that the AI tools used by Meta, Google, and X can introduce bias when interpreting or rewriting posts on politicized topics. When asked about abortion-related X posts, for example, the AI tool Grok was better at explaining pro-life than pro-choice stances. Researchers saw similar biases in AI’s take on climate change and faith. “AI is forcing itself in as a gatekeeper of knowledge,” one said.
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