Kimya Forouzan
@kimyaf.bsky.social
1.2K followers 330 following 26 posts
Proud Iranian-American. Reproductive rights lawyer. Volunteer abortion doula & advocate for immigrants. Opinions are mine; no legal advice. She/Her.
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Reposted by Kimya Forouzan
guttmacher.org
New analysis: Guttmacher experts Anna Bernstein, @kimyaf.bsky.social & @emmas-e.bsky.social examine how the anti-abortion campaign against state shield laws is part of longstanding efforts to ban abortion nationwide and criminalize patients and providers. gu.tt/3HTgU2t
Navy blue text says, "Which states have enacted shield laws? 22 states and DC have shield laws for reproductive health or gender-affirming care, and 8 of these states protect telehealth provision." A map of the US shows states with shield laws in yellow and states with shield laws that extend to out-of-state telehealth in orange.
kimyaf.bsky.social
I worked with my colleagues @anna-berns.bsky.social & @emmas-e.bsky.social to highlight the recent attacks on shield laws & why defending them is essential to repro freedom.
Learn more from our latest @guttmacher.org analysis:
www.guttmacher.org/2025/09/atta...
Attacks on Shield Laws Are the Next Step in Criminalizing Abortion Care
www.guttmacher.org
kimyaf.bsky.social
Unsurprisingly, anti-abortion policymakers are using all levels of government to target shield laws and go after abortion patients, providers and support networks.
And recent cases in Louisiana and Texas have the anti-abortion movement’s weaponization of the US legal system on full display.
kimyaf.bsky.social
Currently, 22 states and Washington, DC have shield laws in place.
8 states extend these protections to care via telehealth, allowing clinicians to provide care to patients in states with total bans and/or other severe restrictions, typically by mailing them abortion pills.
kimyaf.bsky.social
Shield laws are designed to minimize legal risks for patients, providers and others assisting those seeking abortion care by preventing state officials from cooperating with out-of-state prosecutions and extraditions.
kimyaf.bsky.social
Shield laws have become a lifeline for abortion patients and providers in the US post-Dobbs, which is precisely why conservative policymakers are turning to the courts, Congress, and state legislatures to attack this critical method of care. 🧵
www.guttmacher.org/2025/09/atta...
Attacks on Shield Laws Are the Next Step in Criminalizing Abortion Care
www.guttmacher.org
kimyaf.bsky.social
The bills in Texas’ special session represent a coordinated effort to further restrict medication abortion through civil penalties, criminalization and surveillance.  
 
Anti-abortion policymakers want to criminalize people rather than ensuring they can access basic health care.
Reposted by Kimya Forouzan
gbbranstetter.bsky.social
The most commonly-cited "moderate" positions here are 1) requiring all female athletes from kindergarten through college be subjected to sex testing and 2) replace the best medical judgment of your family pediatrician with Bill Maher's opening monologue
parkermolloy.com
Also, how is "leave trans people alone and let them live their lives as they have for decades" not the "moderate" position here? Whenever people call for "moderating" on trans issues, they're calling for actively oppressing trans people, actively restricting trans lives.
Reposted by Kimya Forouzan
guttmacher.org
Guttmacher's new data show that 71% of abortions in Kansas were provided to out-of-state patients in 2024. Our Principal State Policy Adviser @kimyaf.bsky.social spoke w/ @npr.org about shifts curtailing abortion access in the South & Southeast, making states like KS critical for care. gu.tt/42sLK89
Out-of-state patients drove Kansas abortion numbers up in 2024, study finds
Expanded clinic capacity and an influx of people traveling from other states fueled the increase in abortions, according to researchers.
gu.tt
kimyaf.bsky.social
I don’t believe Alito was not actually misreading “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding” at focus in Mahmoud v. Taylor as the character being against gay marriage; very much a purposefully oblivious line of questioning so he could argue the book “promotes” gay marriage from the bench
Reposted by Kimya Forouzan
michaelhobbes.bsky.social
We have had nearly two decades of panic about Free Speech on Campus and not a single case, not even the ones they made up, were as bad as what's happening now
nkalamb.bsky.social
This is the text of the email just sent to hundreds of international students telling them that their visas have been revoked due to activism or social media posts.
kimyaf.bsky.social
Truly one of the most terrifying weeks to exist as a person of color in America; feels truly dystopian to just be going forth at our jobs like everything is normal
Reposted by Kimya Forouzan
marisakabas.bsky.social
just profoundly disturbed by the kidnapping and disappearing of people right off the streets of this country. hard to think about much else—and there’s so much else.
kimyaf.bsky.social
Not the biggest deal in the world, but it’s kinda wild how with the greater attention to the various holidays minority groups celebrate, nobody ever considers Norooz. I somehow always have things scheduled on the holidays and like more work and responsibilities than usual on my one main holiday lol
kimyaf.bsky.social
Not to be overly dramatic given the state of the world, but the (even greater) push to return to office led by the Trump admin, but validated by workplaces over the years, is such a bummer. People were getting precious time w/ their kids, the ability to go see family in other states more easily
kimyaf.bsky.social
Struggling with the fact that everyone talks about the need to stand up to fascist forces in our country, but we’ve also built a hierarchical society where people are deeply afraid to stand up to *anyone* in their lives, even in very minor ways
Reposted by Kimya Forouzan
kimyaf.bsky.social
It actually gives me so much comfort in life that we are all beginners in so many fields. We’ve only tried a small fraction of what’s out there. There’s so much we can still try for the first time, so much life out there
kimyaf.bsky.social
I really do believe that connecting to each other and community and civil society is a major way to combat the loss of democratic values in this country, but our society is so built against that. Nothing that hasn’t been said before, but we’re forced to live for individualism & work
kimyaf.bsky.social
Honestly hate when people are like in my hometown this much snow wasn’t a big deal. Like yeah your home town had more advanced snow infrastructure, it wasn’t the people being better lol, you will fall on black ice in any state love
kimyaf.bsky.social
I think people are so used to thinking that the one thing they interact with someone on is their sole stress, meanwhile we’re all juggling a million things !!!
kimyaf.bsky.social
Having time off between Christmas and new years feels truly like a necessity as opposed to a perk, and also feels like a drop in the bucket to relieve all of the ongoing stress everyone deals with
kimyaf.bsky.social
Up First’s Sunday Story re: people being denied SSI claims is so important. Representing clients fighting for those benefits was truly one of the (many at this point) times when the cruelty of this country was laid so bare to me