Kate Scanlon

Florida lawmakers and the state’s Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination soon, approved a bill April 13 to ban abortions after six weeks.

A federal appeals court April 12 froze portions of a federal judge’s ruling suspending the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a medication abortion pill, ruling that the drug can remain on the market but under more strict regulations while a challenge to it plays out.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-La., called for an end to the death penalty in Louisiana during his final State of the State address, April 10, in an impassioned call for lawmakers to adopt legislative proposals reflecting its identity as a “pro-life state.”

A federal judge in Texas ruled April 7 to suspend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a medication abortion pill, additionally granting a seven-day pause for his ruling before it would go into effect to allow the federal government to appeal and seek emergency relief.