Susan Rinkunas

Susan Rinkunas is a writer and editor based in New York specializing in reproductive rights and health care. Her work has appeared in Vice, The Cut, and more. Follow her on Twitter @sueonthetown.

All Work

Photo of a big protest with signs and neon letters that spell out vote no

Analysis Politics

Abortion Was Just on the Ballot in California. Virginia Is Next.

Sep 20, 8:31am Susan Rinkunas

Every governor’s race with a Democratic incumbent will have the same stakes unless and until Democrats win more Senate seats.

[Photo: A map of the southern United States. Dotted lines starting from the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina all end in different locations in Florida.]

Analysis Abortion

Florida Advocates Brace for a Flood of Abortion Patients

Aug 3, 7:55am Susan Rinkunas

A Supreme Court ruling could result in an influx of patients traveling to clinics in Florida, considered a safe haven for abortion.

[Photo: A digital illustration of a map of Louisiana.]

Analysis Abortion

Will Louisiana Be the First Post-‘Roe’ Domino to Fall?

Jun 15, 7:31am Susan Rinkunas

A year out from a big abortion rights win at the Supreme Court, advocates worry the Court is about to take it all away with a case out of Mississippi.

Analysis Law and Policy

Why Is Biden Letting Anti-Choice Lawyers Have a Say in Court Reform?

May 5, 9:05am Susan Rinkunas

Court reform is one of progressives’ top priorities. And yet Biden has included anti-choice lawyers and Federalist Society members in its courts commission.

[PHOTO: Asian genderqueer person with cane walking down hospital hall]

News Health Systems

Planned Parenthood Expanding Trans Health Care in Missouri

Mar 24, 9:15am Susan Rinkunas

Missouri's first transgender health-care program aimed at expanding access to uninsured and underinsured people could save lives.

[Photo: A young Black woman sits in front of her open laptop.]

Analysis Abortion

Unacceptable Care: Why Patients Manage Their Own Abortion

Feb 8, 8:45am Susan Rinkunas

As states make it more difficult to get abortion pills from providers, they may just be increasing the demand for medication abortion.

[PHOTO: Woman bent over to talk to a person in the driver's seat of car]

Analysis Abortion

‘As We Go, so Do You’: Mississippi Abortion Advocates Prep for an Uncertain Future

Jan 5, 9:45am Susan Rinkunas

Advocates in Mississippi are predicting even more court battles, state legislative attacks, and emboldened protesters at their clinics in 2021.

[PHOTO: Exterior of South Dakota State Capitol building]

Analysis Abortion

When COVID-19 Hit, Abortion Access Ended in South Dakota

Dec 7, 8:30am Susan Rinkunas

For seven months, two public health crises enveloped in South Dakota: the COVID-19 pandemic and no abortion care.

[PHOTO: A woman drops her ballot into a drop-off box]

Analysis Abortion

Desperate to Show Support for an Abortion Ban, Colorado Organizers Turned to Dentists

Oct 31, 8:49am Susan Rinkunas

Dentists and dermatologists don't specialize in reproductive health—but they've come out against Prop 115, which would ban most abortions after 22 weeks.

[PHOTO: Woman turning ballot in near sign that reads

Analysis Abortion

Colorado Voters Could Determine Abortion Access Nationwide (Updated)

Oct 6, 9:11am Susan Rinkunas

Proposition 115 would ban abortions after 22 weeks except when the pregnant person’s life is immediately threatened.

Analysis Abortion

Will Louisiana Be the First State to Criminalize Abortion After Justice Ginsburg’s Death?

Oct 6, 9:01am Susan Rinkunas

The ballot measure is a doubling down on Louisiana's "trigger law," in preparation for a post-Roe future.

[Image of Louisiana written along an empty road]

Analysis Abortion

One Month From the Big Abortion Rights Win in Louisiana: ‘We’ve Gained Nothing’

Jul 29, 8:26am Susan Rinkunas

While June Medical Services v. Russo didn’t result in more clinics having to close, people in the state still face daily tragedies trying to access abortion care.