Sign in

Greer Donley

@greerdonley.bsky.social
11K followers 794 following 238 posts

Prof @PittLaw, writing about abortion rights, pregnancy loss & other repro issues. Views my own. Bylines @NYT @Atlantic & more

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Greer Donley
Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Having set out to show that telemedicine [abortion] services don’t screen their clients, they inadvertently proved the opposite." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Kristan Hawkins helped kill Roe. Now she’s fighting to control the movement she created.
How the Charlie Kirk of abortion moved from the fringes to the mainstream.
02223
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I loved participating in this story abt a new crop of cases challenging abortion bans based on the pregnant person's right to life. Kind of wish I hadn't cursed on the record, but 🤷‍♀️! Grateful for the shout out to "From Medical Exceptions to Reproductive Freedom" (co-authored w @dsc250.bsky.social)
22813
Reposted by Greer Donley
Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 27/09/2026
NEW: A Texas woman died after being denied an abortion and her family sued the state and her doctors for violating her right to life. They say the ban should be struck down. It's one of several cases challenging abortion laws under state constitutional rights to life and liberty @autonomynews.co
autonomynews.co
New Lawsuits Argue That Pregnant People Also Have a Right to Life
Lawyers are fighting abortion bans in state court by establishing that pregnant people have a right to life and liberty—or at least self-defense.
12447825
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
So happy that "The New Abortion Battleground" (co-authored with @dsc250.bsky.social & @rebouche.bsky.social) was cited yesterday by the Sixth Circuit in finding a Tennessee law unconstitutional that criminalizes helping a minor obtain an abortion (even out of state where it is legal)
law.justia.com
Welty v. Dunaway, 25-5738 (6th Cir. 2026)
After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Tennessee enacted a near-total abortion ban and later passed the Underage Abortion Trafficking Act, which included the “Recruitment Provision.” This provision...
3194
Reposted by Greer Donley
Jews for a Secular Democracy @jfasd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
There is no single religious answer to the question of when life or personhood begins. So what happens when government adopts one religious answer and turns it into law? Watch the full conversation with @greerdonley.bsky.social and Susan J. Frietsche: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrZX...
youtube.com
"Abortion Rights and Christian Nationalism" with Greer Donley and Susan Frietsche - Sept. 9, 2026
YouTube video by Jews for a Secular Democracy
142
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
In the 4 years since Dobbs, 16 abortion-hostile states have changed their legal definition of "abortion." In my new paper with Caroline Kelly, Abortion Disorientation Redux, we code & dissect every state's abortion definition & how it has changed since Dobbs. 🧵 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Abortion Disorientation Redux
<div> In 2024, we published Abortion Disorientation in the Duke Law Journal. It uncovered how states were changing their legal definition of abortion in the fi
24622
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I've been tracking changes in state abortion definitions since Dobbs. 8 antiabortion states have changed their definition of abortion in the past 4 years to exclude ectopic pregnancy. W/o an exclusion, ectopic pregnancy treatment can fall under a ban. This chart is in a new paper (online soon!)
284
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
What a difference a panel can make! A rarely balanced panel for the 5CA (an Obama, Biden, and Bush appointee). You can tell in the questions.
050
Reposted by Greer Donley
Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Higginson notes that multiple federal courts have examined the FDA's abortion pill policies and found them TOO strict rather than (as Louisiana argues) not strict enough.
1234
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
For those who can't listen in, this is a great live tweet of the questioning!
020
Reposted by Greer Donley
Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 24/08/2026
Risky bet with this Supreme Court but: “Do pregnant people really have no right to protect themselves unless they’re on death’s door? Is that really the constitutional floor?” said @greerdonley.bsky.social news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-a...
0213
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Great decision from Idaho yesterday. "Idaho could not make a mother undergo a bone marrow transplant to save her child. Can it require a pregnant woman to give up her ovaries or her kidneys in the hopes of saving a fetus? Answering that question will require...this case must go to trial."
193
Reposted by Greer Donley
Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 24/07/2026
NEW: A federal judge ruled that FDA restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone are scientifically unjustified in suit filed by independent clinics—says 2023 REMS is unlawful, FDA must reconsider. Louisiana suing FDA for allowing telehealth Rx in same reg storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
screenshot from page 1 of the opinion:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
CHARLOTTESVILLE DIVISION
WHOLE WOMAN’S HEALTH )
ALLIANCE, et al., )
)
Plaintiffs, ) Civil Action No.: 3:23-CV-00019
)
v. )
)
UNITED STATES FOOD AND DRUG ) By: Hon. Robert S. Ballou
ADMINISTRATION, et al., ) United States District Judge
)
Defendants. ))
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Since 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that mifepristone is a safe and effective medication for early pregnancy termination. Each time the FDA has reviewed mifepristone, it has reaffirmed its safety and efficacy.1 But the FDA has consistently imposed certain prescribing and dispensing restrictions, known as Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (“REMS”), because it concluded such restrictions were necessary to ensure that the drug’s benefits outweighed its risks. The 2023 REMS imposed by the FDA on mifepristone require that (1) prescribing pharmacies be specially certified, (2) prescribing clinicians be specially certified, and (3) prescribers and patients sign a form acknowledging the treatment and
its risks. Dkt. 78-7 at 389–92. Abortion providers in Virginia, Kansas, and Montana brought this case to challenge the 2023 REMS as excessively restrictive, unwarranted, and inconsistent with
the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. The issue before this....

docket
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67347356/whole-womans-health-alliance-v-united-states-food-and-drug-administration/?order_by=desc
two page order https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vawd.128384/gov.uscourts.vawd.128384.96.0.pdfscreenshot from page 47 of the opinion:

CONCLUSION
The REMS modifications are arbitrary and capricious. The FDA has steadfastly found, over the past quarter century, that mifepristone is a safe and effective medication. The explanation for the REMS and ETASUs imposed by the FDA in 2023 does not identify the risk alleviated by the restrictions. Nor does the FDA explain how, without these restrictions, prescribing the drug becomes an intolerable risk which would require withdrawal of the drug from the market. The FDA failed to reasonably justify its 2023 REMS modification decision, disregarding substantial contrary evidence from the medical community and comparative regulatory data, and inadequately addressing the burdens imposed on providers and patients. While Plaintiffs’ claim that the FDA exceeded its statutory authority fails, the Agency’s failure to consider relevant evidence and provide a reasoned explanation renders the 2023 REMS modification arbitrary and capricious in violation of the APA and the Fifth Amendment.

two page order
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vawd.128384/gov.uscourts.vawd.128384.96.0.pdf
...the Court DIRECTS the parties to file a joint status report within 10 days of this order setting forth their positions on how this case should proceed as to the constitutional claims. The remand order will be entered following determination of the status of the constitutional claims.
121765
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I love being a part of the team helping with these amicus briefs! And always grateful to the attorneys at Covington for doing all the heavy lifting!
030
Reposted by Greer Donley
Liza Fuentes @lizafuentes.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
In 2025, 1.13 million abortions were provided in the US formal healthcare system, more than before Dobbs. Nationally, most abortions occurred in person. by December 2025, 29% of US abortions were provided via telehealth. Nearly 15,000 abortions/month were provided under shield laws by Dec 2025.
042
Reposted by Greer Donley
CONVERGE at The University of Pittsburgh @convergepitt.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
This Wednesday, join @garnethenderson.com , @greerdonley.bsky.social , Beatrice Chen MD, and Christina Chang MPP as they unpack the ongoing Louisiana mifepristone litigation and what it signals for the future of reproductive health! 🔗 Register now pitt.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #mifepristone #repro
Flyer for CONVERGE Seminar "Beyond the Courtroom, Beyond the Headlines: What the Louisiana Mifepristone Case Means for the Future of Reproductive Health".

Date: Wednesday, May 20th at 4pm EST

Moderated by Garnet Henderson, Journalist & co-founder of Autonomy News

Join CONVERGE as we unpack the recent Louisiana mifepristone litigation, and explore what it signals for abortion access, FDA authority, healthcare delivery, state policy, and the future of reproductive health. 

Featured speakers: Greer Donley, JD, Beatrice Chen, MD, and Christina Chang, MPP
063
Reposted by Greer Donley
David S. Cohen @dsc250.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Thanks for the shoutout @mjsdc.bsky.social! "They've made Sam Alito very mad" - this should go on our resumes. w/ @greerdonley.bsky.social @rebouche.bsky.social
Right. In Alito’s view, red states have absolute freedom to persecute abortion providers and patients, while blue states have no authority to protect them. It’s so obvious what he’s doing here. By the way, we should give a shout-out to the law professors who devised and promoted shield laws—David Cohen, Rachel Rebouché, and Greer Donley. They’ve made Sam Alito very mad. So don’t ever let anyone tell you law review articles don’t matter.
735278
Reposted by Greer Donley
Cedar River Clinics @cedarriverclinics.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
We deeply appreciate the law professors who championed these laws to combat the public health crisis prompted by the Dobbs decision for millions of Americans. These law professors include @dsc250, @rebouche.bsky.social, and @greerdonley.bsky.social.
021
Reposted by Greer Donley
David S. Cohen @dsc250.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
I am really proud of the work that @rebouche.bsky.social @greerdonley.bsky.social and I did to conceive of and advocate for shield laws. They've made a huge and tangible difference for people in this country. But now we can add another thing to be proud of -- they piss off Sam Alito. Poor Sam.
Sam Alito whining about abortion shield laws. Poor Sam.
17609117
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I'm really proud to have submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court today in the case concerning access to an abortion pill, mifepristone, on behalf of FDA Law Scholars. TLDR: the 5th Circuit's order is inconsistent with FDA law. Check it out 👇 www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...
supremecourt.gov
2217
Reposted by Greer Donley
Madison Pauly @msjpauly.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
The ruling does not affect misoprostol, the second medication used with mifepristone to terminate pregnancies—and a powerful abortion drug on its own. “Abortion is too important,” says @greerdonley.bsky.social. “People are going to find ways around the law." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
A right-wing court just moved to choke off abortion by mail
A sweeping decision threatens to unravel one of the last remaining pathways to care post-Dobbs.
44515
Reposted by Greer Donley
Garnet Henderson @garnethenderson.com · 01/05/2026
NEW: The ultraconservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked the 2023 rule change that allowed for telemedicine prescriptions of the abortion drug mifepristone—nationwide.
storage.courtlistener.com
Published Opinion – #119, Att. #1 in State of Louisiana v. FDA (5th Cir., 26-30203) – CourtListener.com
NON DISPOSITIVE PUBLISHED OPINION FILED. Judge: LHS, Judge: SKD, Judge: KDE; granting Motion to stay the 2023REMS under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending appeal filed by Appellant State of Louisiana [12]; denyin...
19874478
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
I'm tolerating my cringe at watching myself on video to ask you to donate to WLP today! WLP made history this week, and the future of reproductive rights depends on people supporting their work! Even if you just have a few dollars, it is all appreciated! crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonati...
crm.bloomerang.co
Donate to Women's Law Project
1129
Reposted by Greer Donley
Maya Manian @mayamanian.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Terrific op-ed highlighting the perverse impacts of abortion bans
193
Reposted by Greer Donley
Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Abortion rates in red states have not decreased, aside from medically necessary ones. Pregnancy has become much more dangerous. slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com
Red States Thought They Could Stop Abortions. They Ended Up Stopping Only the Lifesaving Ones.
Abortion bans are failing.
23675306
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I have a new op-ed in @slate.com today w Yvette Lindgren! We argue that abortion bans are only chilling medically necessary abortions w/o effecting traditional abortion seekers, who have found other ways to access care. Bans do not work. Check it out! slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com
Red States Thought They Could Stop Abortions. They Ended Up Stopping Only the Lifesaving Ones.
Abortion bans are failing.
02814
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
If you are looking for a way to celebrate this win, buy tickets to our annual Pittsburgh fundraiser or just donate to Women's Law Project!! secure.qgiv.com/for/womensla...
secure.qgiv.com
Rights to Realities 2026
010
Reposted by Greer Donley
Women's Law Project @womenslawproject.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
We WON our challenge to Pennsylvania's ban on Medicaid coverage of abortion!
04320
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
This is incredible!! So proud to be the chair of the board Women's Law Project, which has been litigating this case for nearly a decade!! This win took so much perseverance, resilience, and creativity. Congrats to @dsc250.bsky.social & @womenslawproject.bsky.social!!!
1246
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
NEW: Western District of Louisiana stays case challenging mifepristone REMS while the FDA conducts its own review of the evidence. There some bad and poorly reasoned stuff in here (states have standing, etc) but I'll take the temporary win! www.aclu.org/documents/lo...
aclu.org
Louisiana v. FDA: Memorandum Ruling (Western District of Louisiana) | American Civil Liberties Union
033
Reposted by Greer Donley
Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
“Sauer started by offering, not statutory text or court precedents — you know, law — but instead a 1921 law review article. In response, Evan Bernick, a law professor, posted excerpts from that article to show that the solicitor general got it wrong.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Is It Legal to Bully the Supreme Court?
940787
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
So well said! 👇
030
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Chip Carter & I went on the video series "Legal AF" with Court Accountability to talk about our new draft, "An Originalist Critique of Fetal Personhood." We weigh in on the debate of whether we should be engaging in originalism to combat these off-the-wall arguments. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD9v...
youtube.com
GOP's Own LOGIC COLLAPSES as Arguments BACKFIRE
YouTube video by Legal AF
041
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Such a great book and so fun to get to write a response with @rebouche.bsky.social! Check it out!
020
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
I haven't been following the birthright citizenship case, but after spending the last year writing about fetal personhood, it strikes me that the right is trying to read birth out of the 14A in both directions. Immigrants born here shouldn't get rights but fetuses not yet born should.
720850
Reposted by Greer Donley
Margaret H. Zhang @marzhang.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Folks in DE/PA/NJ/etc, if you're looking for a great conversation on human dignity in current times, come to Delaware Law School's Dignity Law Symposium - The Role of the State in Protecting Human Dignity - on Friday April 10! succeed.widener.edu/register/?id...
succeed.widener.edu
Dignity Law Symposium 2026
1106
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Yvette Lindgren & I have a new essay recently accepted by Southern California Law Review! "The Post-Dobbs Abortion Irony" explores how abortion bans only seem to be chilling medically necessary abortions while everyday abortions are increasing everywhere. 1/4 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
313854
Reposted by Greer Donley
Jamie Fox @whatlawfoxsays.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
I finally had a chance to sit down with this article. As others have noted, it is really, really good. It is hard to see how anyone can make a scholarly originalist case for fetal personhood after this. Def recommend reading it - some of my favorite parts are... 1/
231
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
I can't wait to read this!
061
Reposted by Greer Donley
David S. Cohen @dsc250.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
How's that happen? @greerdonley.bsky.social and I have it all here in our article from late last year: From Medical Exceptions to Reproductive Freedom.
1155
Reposted by Greer Donley
David S. Cohen @dsc250.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
A narrow but important win in Indiana. Cracks in abortion bans start small, then they grow.
wibc.com
Judge Blocks State from Enforcing Abortion Ban Against Religious Objectors
A judge has handed down a ruling that prevents Indiana from enforcing its near-total abortion ban against women who say the procedure is a requirement of their religious faith.
311956
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
"An Originalist Critique of Fetal Personhood" w Chip Carter is officially online (& forthcoming in U. Penn. L. Rev.)! papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers..... We scour 19th cen. dictionaries & the context in which the 14A was ratified to discover the original public & legal meaning of "person" in 1868.
811527
Reposted by Greer Donley
Mary Ziegler @maryrziegler.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
On X, Josh Craddock is posting his critique of Reva Siegel's article on the weaknesses of arguments about fetal personhood: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... Read both papers and decide for yourself. :)
papers.ssrn.com
It's Alive! When the Original Meaning of "Person" Protected by the Fourteenth Amendment Is Not a Fixed, But Living Word
This Article examines an originalist argument for prenatal personhood—that life from conception is included within the original public meaning of the “person” t
061
Reposted by Greer Donley
Mary Ziegler @maryrziegler.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
And when you are done, read this important piece by @greerdonley.bsky.social and Chip Carter on originalism and personhood: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
An Originalist Critique of Fetal Personhood
The current “North Star” in the antiabortion movement is fetal personhood: a declaration by judicial fiat that conception marks the beginning of constitutional
1111
Reposted by Greer Donley
Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Ally beat me to it, but excited to share that "Perinatal Palliative Care & Abortion," co-authored with @amwhelan.bsky.social, is forthcoming in the Virginia Law Review. Abstract below and it will be up on SSRN as soon as SSRN allows...
2239
Reposted by Greer Donley
David S. Cohen @dsc250.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
This is a great piece! You want originalism and abortion? Here it is. And it's now that you think.
1105
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
It is such an honor for @ssrn.bsky.social to feature my work! Thank you to Apoorva Anand for getting to know my scholarship and for writing this up!
0187
Reposted by Greer Donley
Ally Whelan @amwhelan.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Excited to announce that “Perinatal Palliative Care & Abortion,” co-authored with the fabulous @jillwieberlens.bsky.social, will be published with Virginia Law Review… SSRN draft coming soon 😊
4429
Greer Donley @greerdonley.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Thrilled that my article with William ("Chip") Carter, An Originalist Critique of Fetal Personhood, is now forthcoming in the Pennsylvania Law Review!!! It was weirdly fun to spend months buried in 19th century dictionaries & Locke's writings. We are still editing but hope to have it online soon!
38323
Reposted by Greer Donley
Caitlin Kelly @caitlinkelly.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
NEW: After doctors sent her home with a racing heart, Ciji Graham came to believe the best way to protect her health was to end her pregnancy. But new restrictions in NC and nearby states made finding an abortion provider difficult. www.propublica.org/article/nort...
propublica.org
A Pregnant Woman at Risk of Heart Failure Couldn’t Get Urgent Treatment. She Died Waiting for an Abortion.
In a state that had legislated its commitment to life, Graham spent her final days struggling to find anyone to save hers.
11366205