The Quickie: Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom Submit Signatures for Ballot Initiative 

Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.

In today’s Quickie: Nevada’s abortion right ballot initiative hits a milestone, KS providers challenge new law, judicial stakes of the upcoming election, and PPAF backs Senate candidates.

NEVADANS FOR REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM SUBMIT SIGNATURES FOR BALLOT INITIATIVE: Yesterday, the campaign to enshrine abortion rights in Nevada’s constitution hit a major milestone, submitting more than 200,000 signatures — nearly twice as many as required — to the state for qualification. "The number of signatures gathered in just over three months shows how deeply Nevadans believe in abortion rights and its importance to this moment in our nation’s history," Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom (NVRF) President Lindsey Harmon said at a news conference Monday.

“This is a grassroots-led effort by communities from all corners of our state as a direct response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which upended a 50-year constitutionally protected right creating a crisis for reproductive freedom across the country, including Nevada,” said Reproductive Freedom for All’s Nevada campaign director, Denise Lopez. “Quiero que todos sepan que lucharemos, hoy, mañana, y siempre para asegurar un futuro donde todos podamos elegir y tener el derecho de cuándo y dónde formar una familia. Reproductive Freedom for All Nevada and our members are mobilizing like never before to ensure we pass a constitutional amendment this November that protects a person’s right to abortion in our state once and for all.”

Read more from NBC News.

KANSAS ABORTION PROVIDERS CHALLENGE LAW FORCING THEM TO GIVE PATIENT INFORMATION TO THE STATE: Yesterday, Kansas abortion providers filed a legal challenge to a new law that would force providers to report to the state patients’ reasons for seeking abortion. The law, which is set to take effect July 1, violates patient privacy and jeopardizes provider-patient relationships. Despite Kansans’ overwhelming support for abortion rights, anti-abortion lawmakers passed House Bill 2749, overriding a veto from Governor Laura Kelly.

"We're challenging this latest invasion into the private decisions of Kansans for one simple reason: unlike the legislature, we actually listened when the people voted in August 2022. Kansans want their medical decisions to be their own, and we will not shame or stigmatize patients to satisfy the cruel whims of anti-abortion politicians," said Emily Wales, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Great Plains. "This bill was never intended to improve the health of Kansans; it was meant to shame reproductive care and force patients to answer deeply personal questions that accomplish nothing beyond trauma and judgment. Planned Parenthood Great Plains trusts patients and will challenge laws that undermine reproductive rights or limit access to essential services."

Read more here.

TRUMP WANTS TO SHAPE LEGAL SYSTEM FOR ‘50 YEARS’ BY APPOINTING YOUNG JUSTICES:  Planned Parenthood Votes highlighted reporting from Rolling Stone to emphasize just what’s at stake in this election when it comes to the federal judiciary, noting that Trump is “saying the quiet part out loud: if given the opportunity, he’ll keep appointing young judges to the federal courts so they can shape our laws for decades.”

Rolling Stone reports that, during a speech in which he accepted the NRA’s endorsement, “Trump told the story of the time he was approached by a friend of his, a 69-year-old real estate lawyer in New York, asking if he could be appointed as a federal judge if he gave up his private practice. ‘I told him, ‘Don’t worry about it! You’re gonna be a judge, congratulations,'’ Trump said.” 

The same report quotes Trump as saying he was convinced by advisors that “[w]e like people [for judgeships] in their thirties so they’re there for 50 years or 40 years…And as soon as they said that I realized yeah, they’re exactly right.”

See Planned Parenthood Votes’ response to this reporting, and read more from Rolling Stone here.

✨ENDORSEMENT ALERT✨PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND BACKS ALSOBROOKS, MUCARSEL-POWELL FOR SENATE: Today, Planned Parenthood Action Fund announced​​ its endorsement of sexual and reproductive health champions Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of Florida in their bids for Senate in 2024. When elected, these candidates will help to build upon the majority held by reproductive rights champions in the Senate.

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“Our democracy is at its best when lawmakers reflect the will of the people they represent. We know that if anti-abortion politicians gain control of the Senate, they will pass a national abortion ban that majorities of Marylanders, Floridians, and Americans don’t support. That is why Planned Parenthood Action Fund trusts Debbie and Angela, and why it is crucial for us to elect them in November — these two candidates understand what’s at stake and what needs to be done to build back our rights to control our own bodies, lives and futures. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is committed to fighting to protect our rights alongside these champions, and all leaders dedicated to reproductive health, rights, and justice.”

Read more here.