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The American Cancer Society has endorsed self-collected vaginal samples for cervical cancer screening — a change medical experts say will help expand access and improve detection. The updated ACS recommendations, released Thursday, reflect advancements in disease detection and access to screening options in the United States. (Chiu, 12/4)

Residents of Texas can now sue people who they suspect of making, distributing or mailing abortion pills in or out of the state, in a first-of-its-kind law that aims to dam the flood of abortion pills into states that ban the procedure. Under the new law, which went into effect on Thursday, abortion providers could face penalties of at least $100,000 if they mail pills into Texas. Manufacturers of abortion pills are also eligible to be sued, although women who take abortion pills are not. (Sherman, 12/4)

It’s a Texas-to-California abortion case with a Bay Area doctor in the middle and a Gordian knot of a legal question: What happens when states with opposing laws collide in federal court? Jerry Rodriguez, 57, of Galveston County, Texas, alleges that Dr. Remy Coeytaux, 61, of Sonoma County prescribed Rodriguez’s girlfriend abortion medication in violation of Texas’ anti-abortion laws and a 19th century anti-obscenity statute, leading to two self-administered abortions in September 2024 and January of this year. (Hosseini, 12/4)

An appeals court on Thursday struck down Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ language for an upcoming ballot measure that would ban nearly all abortions in the state. The ruling from the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District found that the question Hoskins, a Republican, wrote failed to accurately inform voters that the measure would strike down last November’s historic vote that legalized access to the procedure. (Bayless, 12/4)

Capitalizing on medical distrust, some influencers are selling guides to "freebirths" -- medically unassisted births -- and "wild pregnancies" -- pregnancies without prenatal care. ... Ob/gyns told MedPage Today that groups like Free Birth Society prey on patients who want the best for their baby but have concerns about the medical establishment. (Robertson, 12/4)

Kara Ayers is a mother of four and uses a wheelchair. She relies heavily on her car because there are not many public transportation options where she lives in Cincinnati. She is concerned about a bill moving through the state legislature that would allow pregnant people to use disability placards. (Luterman, 12/3)

The tampons were stacked and bound together with a rubber band. The incarcerated people at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit — a women’s prison in Central Texas — referred to these bundles as “dynamite sticks.” Behind bars, these household items could be a liability. (Norwood, 12/4)