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Rachel Wells

@rachelwells1.bsky.social
3.8K followers 170 following 275 posts

Independent journalist covering reproductive policy in Tennessee and the American South | Founder, TN Repro News Signal: rachelwells.73 www.wellsrachelm.com

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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
If a man who has been accused of sexual assault in high school loses an opportunity to be on the Supreme Court because he is incapable of being a decent human, so be it.
wellsrachelm.substack.com
If Men Accused of Sexual Assault Face Lifelong Consequences, That’s Fine With Me
We shouldn’t care more about a rapist’s future than hers.
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Steven Hale @iamstevenhale.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
One last thing: Christa Pike surviving two lethal injections made us question (among many other things) the potentcy of the state’s drug supply. Before the Tony Carruthers execution in May (botched by failed IV access) TN refused to say if its drugs had expired: nashvillebanner.com/2026/05/19/t...
nashvillebanner.com
Tennessee officials silent on status of pentobarbital - Nashville Banner
Tennessee prison officials refuse to confirm the lethal injection drugs they plan to use to execute Tony Carruthers this week are expired.
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Garnet Henderson @garnethenderson.com · 24/09/2026
New story by me and @susanrinkunas.com on Overton's confirmation hearing at @autonomynews.co:
autonomynews.co
Trump’s FDA Pick Refused to Say IUDs Don't Cause Abortions
Dr. Heidi Overton also said she is open to investigating abortion pill manufacturers during her Senate confirmation hearing.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Jules, the Executive Director of Abortion Care Tennessee, tells TN Repro News that abortion funds across the country have yet to see a state AG put forward something this aggressive and comprehensive. @abortionfunds.bsky.social
wellsrachelm.substack.com
BREAKING: Tennessee AG Launches Investigation into State's Abortion Fund
Abortion Care Tennessee's attorney says the investigation is retaliation for a free speech case the state lost.
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Carole King @carolekingofficial.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Remembering Amy Winehouse on her birthday. 🤍
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
wellsrachelm.substack.com/p/i-judged-d...
wellsrachelm.substack.com
I Judged Dolly Parton for Not Calling Herself a Feminist
“The Bridge” and “Down From Dover” were only the beginning.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
For years now, I’ve been largely silent on the anti-abortion use of premature NICU babies as props for their anti-bodily autonomy agenda. I can’t do that any longer. #nicumama #abortionrights substack.com/@wellsrachel...
substack.com
My Extremely Premature Baby Isn't A Political Prop
One mother's desperate plea to anyone questioning their anti-abortion beliefs
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I’ve been covering the reproductive rights landscape in Tennessee for nearly a decade now and this is one of the scariest developments I’ve seen yet: complete collapse between church and state.
open.substack.com
What Is the Human Flourishing Initiative?
A new 25-acre campus will bring state agencies, churches, and Christian nonprofits together under one roof.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
“Republican politicians found time to memorialize a stone slab, but they can't find the votes to lower the cost of groceries, housing or healthcare for Tennessee families.” @nashvillescene.com @campbell4tn.bsky.social www.nashvillescene.com/news/pithint...
nashvillescene.com
Tennessee Erects ‘Monument to the Unborn’ on Capitol Grounds
Anti-abortion legislators see eight-year project completed
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Sharing a piece of our experience with navigating abortion in a wanted pregnancy at the third trimester. No one understands these stories unless you’ve lived them.
open.substack.com
What Does Carrying a Dying Pregnancy Feel Like?
While my son was still alive inside me, I called abortion clinics, funeral homes, and medical experts.
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Reposted by Rachel Wells
Rewire News Group @rewirenewsgroup.com · 05/06/2026
NEW: The Food and Drug Administration will proceed with a “safety review” of mifepristone, one of two drugs commonly used in medication abortions.
rewirenewsgroup.com
FDA Begins 'Safety Review' of Abortion Drug Mifepristone—Reports
Plus, trans kids in New York sue to protect their health records from DOJ probe and Nevada minors can get an abortion without parental consent or a court order—for now.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
How far will Tennessee go in policing conversation about abortion? Apparently all the way. Update from the Sixth Circuit hearing is up now.
open.substack.com
Plaintiffs React After Sixth Circuit Hears Arguments in Abortion Trafficking Case
How far can Tennessee go in policing abortion-related conversations?
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Breaking news: Tennessee’s ban on the recruitment of unemancipated minors to obtain out-of-state abortions without parental consent does not restrict access to abortion or violate free speech rights, the state argued Tuesday at the Sixth Circuit. www.courthousenews.com/tennessee-pu...
courthousenews.com
Tennessee pushes to revive abortion 'trafficking' law at Sixth Circuit
A federal judge found the state's prohibition on "recruiting" pregnant minors to obtain abortions elsewhere violated the First Amendment.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Tennessee House candidate DeWayne Howard says he would have voted for HB570, a bill that could have prosecuted abortion patients; says other lawmakers privately supported it.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
It's 5pm on Thursday May 14. Where ya at SCOTUS?
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
If any national outlets want to pay me to write about the insanity of the Tennessee special session from inside the tornado, hit me up!! Covering for TNReproNews but still freelancing as well.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Leader Lamberth tries to make the case that Tennesseans will actually have more power by combining urban and rural areas instead of protecting urban power centers… #tnpol
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
When Sen. Lamar asks Sen. Stevens why the public couldn't weigh in before the maps were drawn, he says the public's time is right now... but the room was *emptied* of the public. #tnpol #specialsession
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Thankful for Stacey Abrams' presence and wisdom in Tennessee for this draconian Special Session.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Protestors and organizers are banging so loudly on the walls outside the Senate Judiciary that it's making Congressman Stephen Cohen emotional as he says he feels like he did during Jan. 6th. #tnpol
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
RIGHT NOW: Congressman Steve Cohen is listing the activists who've won Black political power in the South, saying going against that is despicable: "Memphis will be on the back of the bus with Rosa Parks again." #tnpol
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Right now, @staceyabrams.com is testifying against redistricting Memphis during the Senate Judiciary Committee: "I am here today, Mr. Chairman, because I have faith in the South and in Tennessee. We can do what's right right now." The public in the hallway outside is raucously cheering. #tnpol
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Huge crowd cheering for and thanking Senator London Lamar as she enters a committee room. Memphians are at the Capitol protesting redistricting. #tnpol
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Military ballots and overseas ballots may not meet deadlines for Midterm election if these bills are passed. We’re cutting our military members in service from the very democratic rights they’re fighting for? How’s that America first? #tngop
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
If these bills are passed, election officials are going to face significant financial hurdles in shifting deadlines despite the financial note reading $0.00. It’s bullshit to the nth degree. They all know it. #tngop
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
An already long morning kicks off the second day of special session. The Senate hearing room is 100% full with hallway overflow. Memphis is HERE. #tngop
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Steve Cohen @repcohen.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I’ll be on CNN Jake Tapper at 6 o’clock Eastern time tonight. We’ll be talking about the redistricting in Tennessee or the possibility thereof because of the Supreme Court gutting of section 2 of the voting rights act
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
The @reprorights.org lawsuit survived multiple state appeals seeking to throw it out, but courts consistently agreed the case had merit. Then the state legislature intervened. Days before the trial, it was canceled, pushing a 3-year case further out.
open.substack.com
After Losing in Court, Lawmakers Step In to Stop an Abortion Trial
New laws allowed the state to halt the case just days before patients and doctors were set to testify.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
open.substack.com/pub/wellsrac...
open.substack.com
Study Finds Five Tennessee Hospitals “At-Risk” Due to Trump Medicaid Cuts
Poor, Black, and rural women face the greatest threats to reproductive safety
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
An essay on the power of maternal love. open.substack.com/pub/wellsrac...
open.substack.com
I Had Two Abortions. They’ve Undoubtedly Made Me a Better Mother.
After giving birth to death twice, I became untethered. My two abortions were an act of love, and I was triumphant.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
If you or anyone you know has been denied emergency pregnancy care in Tennessee, please get in touch. My signal is rachelwells.73 #tn #tennessee #tnleg
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
New story up about a novel and growing approach to indoctrinating kids into anti-abortion culture. open.substack.com/pub/wellsrac...
open.substack.com
Crisis Pregnancy Centers Are Heading Into Elementary Classrooms
Hamstrung by their own sex ed laws, lawmakers moved trafficking out of family life curriculum and into general health instruction.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The survey comes as roughly 70 bills addressing reproductive health are circulating in the Tennessee State Legislature, including some that, if passed, would establish fetal personhood and create civil liability for abortion care. nashvillebanner.com/2026/03/09/t...
nashvillebanner.com
Poll: Tennessee voters favor abortion exceptions, IVF - Nashville Banner
New poll shows majority of Tennessee voters support medical exceptions for abortion and IVF treatments despite proposed reproductive health restrictions.
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Reposted by Rachel Wells
Nashville Scene @nashvillescene.com · 06/03/2026
Letter to the Editor: Reader Ryan on what a recent decision from VUMC means for the LGBTQ community.
nashvillescene.com
Letter to the Editor: On VUMC’s Decision to Stop Gender-Affirming Surgery
What Vanderbilt Health's decision means for the LGBTQ community
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I have to be honest. I miss 2006 Twitter. It was all about making new like-minded friends that became actual IRL friends. It was sharing indie music tips. It was making fun of the PR industry (that we were all in.) It was all of NYC in a single online basket where we chatted over desk lunch.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Absolutely brilliant piece by @kbeccaandrews.bsky.social is in @motherjones.com today and it's a hands-down-must-read. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Inside the latest, and scariest, iteration of America’s endless abortion wars
After Trump’s mass pardons of anti-abortion activists, threats and harassment at clinics have surged.
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Steve Cavendish @scavendish.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
This is alarming. Was ICE targeting a journalist? One in particular who had covered their detention activities in Nashville?
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Nashville Banner @nashvillebanner.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
A Nashville reporter who has reported on ICE was detained at a stop in South Nashville yesterday. Estefany Rodríguez fled Colombia after getting death threats and is awaitng an asylum hearing. nashvillebanner.com/2026/03/05/j...
nashvillebanner.com
ICE detains reporter Estefany Rodríguez in Nashville - Nashville Banner
Reporter Estefany Rodríguez, detained by ICE with no arrest warrant, may face deportation. Her attorneys seek immediate review of the legality of her case.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Happening now: A Tennessee court is hearing arguments in Phillips v. Tennessee, a case that could determine when doctors can provide abortion care under the state’s medical emergency exception. Watch live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bttc...
youtube.com
Allyson Phillips, et al. v. State of Tennessee, et al.- Dispositive Motion Hearing
YouTube video by TNCourts 2
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Rewire News Group @rewirenewsgroup.com · 04/03/2026
ICE’s occupation of Minneapolis has been especially devastating for Latino patients who are too afraid to seek out the HIV care they need. From @cameronoakes.bsky.social and Sam Donndelinger of @unclosetedmedia.bsky.social:
rewirenewsgroup.com
Too Afraid to Leave Home: ICE’s Toll on Latino HIV Care
Operation Metro Surge is leading some Latinos to delay or cancel HIV prevention or treatment appointments.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Shout out to @charlottewords.bsky.social - great reporting!
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Of course, Lynchburg, VA, is involved in a lawsuit challenging VA's recently passed constitutional amendment on reproductive rights. Context: wellsrachelm.substack.com/p/local-zoni... Update: virginiamercury.com/2026/03/04/b...
virginiamercury.com
Bedford County supervisor files suit challenging reproductive rights constitutional amendment • Virginia Mercury
Lawsuit claims abortion ballot initiative is invalid because Virginia’s House of Delegates did not distribute it to all circuit court clerks and post it for public inspection three months prior to the...
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
New strategy: fetal personhood via AI regulation. HB 0849 (Reneau) / SB 0837 (Pody) would create a new Tennessee legal definition of “human being” beginning at fertilization. #tnleg
wellsrachelm.substack.com
TL;DR: WTF Is Going on in Tennessee
Five bills you need to know about
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David S. Cohen @dsc250.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
List of countries with a specific constitutional provision protecting the right to abortion: 1) France (2024) 2) Luxembourg (2026) That's it.
luxtimes.lu
Luxembourg becomes second country worldwide to enshrine abortion rights in constitution
Large majority in parliament backs amendment to Luxembourg’s highest law, with ‘freedom’ to have an abortion added to constitution
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Incredible work. SB 1681, a bill sponsored by Sen. London Lamar to protect women in emergency departments, passed the Senate, and it is set to be heard in the House on Tuesday. #tnleg www.wbir.com/article/news...
wbir.com
Bill preventing hospitals from denying pregnant women care passes Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate passed a bill to ensure emergency room access for pregnant women.
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Going to bed peacefully knowing my reporting shamed TN Sen. Pody into backstepping his legislation to kill women for having abortions. thehill.com/policy/healt...
thehill.com
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
I don’t have the spiritual or emotional strength to handle three on three sudden death. I love hockey. I’m so stressed rn
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Rewire News Group @rewirenewsgroup.com · 20/02/2026
In this week’s episode of Boom! Lawyered, @angryblacklady.blacksky.app and @hegemommy.bsky.social walk through the legal threats to medication abortion, and explain how the national abortion landscape could be entirely reshaped entirely by spring. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts:
rewirenewsgroup.com
What’s Going On In the Fight Over Abortion Pills
Are conservatives about to get a national ban through the courts?
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
And just like that, Tennessee legislators file a death penalty bill. open.substack.com/pub/wellsrac...
open.substack.com
A Bill to Make Abortion Homicide Is Moving
HB 570 removes protections for pregnant women, aligns fetal death with murder
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Rachel Wells @rachelwells1.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
TN Rep Monty Fritt wants women executed for having abortions: "I would just say, friends, this is the battlefield. God looks abhorrently upon those who shed innocent blood." Read exclusive reporting at TN Repro News. wellsrachelm.substack.com/p/a-tennesse...
wellsrachelm.substack.com
A Tennessee Lawmaker Called for Executing Women
The comments were captured on video at a Washington County GOP meeting
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