Delaware
New Delaware laws make abortion access easier, more affordable
From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Delaware has expanded access to abortion after two pieces of legislation recently became law.
One of the bills signed last month by Gov. John Carney requires Medicaid, private health insurance and state employee insurance plans cover services related to termination of pregnancy. Coverage is capped at $750.
The measure, sponsored by House Majority Leader Melissa Minor-Brown, also bans most insurance plans, including ones covering state workers, from charging copays, applying deductibles or adding cost-sharing requirements for abortion-related services. Religious employers can get exempted from having to offer the coverage.
Speakers at Friday’s press conference celebrating the bills noted that women’s ability to access abortion care depended on the state where they live. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for reproductive rights, 13 states have total abortion bans with limited exceptions. Another six states ban the procedure after six or 12 weeks.
Minor-Brown said Delaware’s protections are important because women in other parts of the country are dying. She pointed to reporting by ProPublica about a Georgia mother who died after a hospital delayed care under the state’s abortion ban.
“For years, medical professionals have warned us that access to abortion is literally a matter of life and death. There are states right now that have abortion laws in effect that date back to the 1800s,” she said. “These outdated, dangerous laws were written at a time when women had no voice, no rights and no agency.”
Stacey Haddock Hassel, board chairperson of Planned Parenthood of Delaware, said the bill is a huge step for abortion access because it will help more patients, including those eligible for Medicaid, afford the procedure.
“When we talk about the impact of this legislation, the size, the limit, we don’t know the number of women who would have been able to access abortion care had they been able to use their Medicaid coverage,” she said. “And we don’t know how many women didn’t have the $500 to come to Planned Parenthood and gave up not knowing their options.”
For Planned Parenthood Delaware’s last fiscal year, 24% of its total patient population were Medicaid recipients and 35% had commercial insurance, a news release said. More than 40% of patients used Planned Parenthood’s self-pay system due to being underinsured or uninsured. Of those, half reported incomes below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level — meaning many of them would have likely qualified for Medicaid.
The Delaware Police Officer Standards and Training Commission recently announced that the Dewey Beach Police Department and Rehoboth Beach Police Department have both earned state accreditation from the Delaware Police Accreditation Commission.
As part of the rigorous process, a team of DPAC assessors ensured all accreditation standards were met by completing comprehensive, on-site inspections of each agency, reviewing their policies and procedures for compliance, and conducting interviews with department members.
“This milestone represents a significant step forward for public safety in Delaware. The initial state accreditation of these police agencies reflects a strong commitment to professionalism, accountability and excellence in law enforcement. I commend each department for their dedication to serving their communities with integrity and for upholding the highest standards,” said Joshua Bushweller, Department of Safety and Homeland Security secretary and DPAC chair.
Dover, Del. – Three farms, one from each of Delaware’s counties, were inducted into the Century Farm Program by the state Department of Agriculture on Thursday at the Delaware Agricultural Museum.
Each of the family farms has been owned and operated for at least a century. Each received a sign for their farms, an engraved plate and legislative tributes.
In addition to Secretary of Agriculture, Don Clifton, and Deputy Secretary Jimmy Kroon, state Senators David Wilson (R – District 18) and Kyra Hoffner (D – District 14) were also in attendance.
Wright Family Farms are located in Harrington in Kent County. In 1919, the farm was purchased by William Wright. Over a century later, William’s grandson, Ronald, is the owner and his great-grandson, Greg, said he hopes to continue the family legacy by buying the farm from his father.
Although the event celebrated each family for their hard work and resilience, it also highlighted the challenges farmers have to surmount to stay in business today, let alone for a hundred years.
“The price of equipment, the price of fertilizer, the price of seed, everything is just gone up,” Greg said. “So, you know, everything’s going up that we gotta purchase just to stay in business.”
Clifton, Kroon and Wilson also echoed difficulties in balancing the need to preserve agricultural land with the need to develop housing and sustainable energy projects like solar power.
“I know housing is very important, and we want people to always have good housing, but at some point, I think you’re going to saturate the area with more houses than you have food to feed these people,” Wilson said.
Kroon also said there are difficulties in keeping future generations motivated to stay in farming.
“When you think about it in the context of multi-generational farm families, there’s a real long-term challenge where a new generation may think twice about whether they want to keep farming if it’s always a struggle,” he said.
Clifton said farming has always been a challenging way of life, but it has been so since time immemorial.
“These families, their experience shows that they have an appreciation for the way of life and perseverance and that’s to be honored and emulated to the greatest extent possible,” he said.
Greg said he hopes to pass down the way of life so that his family legacy can live on for another hundred years, as well as for other families.
“A hundred years as the same family tilling the land, that’s, you know, that’s an honor right there,” Greg said. “And I hope that more farmers who are close to 100 years old will be doing the same thing. You know, keep it in the family.”
An investigation is underway after police said a man’s body was pulled from the Delaware River in South Philadelphia.
According to police, around 9 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, emergency responders pulled an unidentified man from the Delaware River, near the Navy Yard. Medic’s pronounced the man dead at 9:11 a.m.
Léelo en español aquí.
SkyForce10 flew above as police and other first responders were on the scene.
NBC10
NBC10
Police are working to determine the circumstances of the incident and identify the man.
This is a developing story; check back here for updates.
-
New Mexico54 seconds agoCalm and warmer conditions move into New Mexico
-
North Carolina7 minutes agoMemorial service held for former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett
-
North Dakota13 minutes ago
Richard D. Langowski Obituary April 16, 2026 – Tollefson Funeral Home
-
Ohio19 minutes agoThree Buckeyes Who Proved They Belong at Ohio State Spring Game
-
Oklahoma25 minutes agoOklahoma’s Jahsiear Rogers ‘Knew It Was Time to Showcase’ His Talents In Spring Game
-
Oregon31 minutes agoOregon Tight End Jamari Johnson Speaks Openly About New Role
-
Pennsylvania37 minutes agoPennsylvania State Police investigating incident in Salisbury Township
-
Rhode Island43 minutes ago2 dead, 1 seriously hurt after crash on I-95 South in Warwick
