Reproductive Rights After Roe Reversal: Ways to Learn and Take Action

What’s the story?

• The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case on Friday, ending nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion. States regulations now decide where, when, and if abortion is legal. 

The big picture

• In a first-of-its-kind study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Guttmacher Institute, researchers looked at 150 countries and territories’ unintended pregnancy and abortion rates and found that the proportion of unintended pregnancies that end in abortion increased most in countries with restrictive abortion laws. They advised governments and organizations to provide access to quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception and safe abortion access, as a solution for lowering unintended pregnancy and abortion rates.
• The UN Human Rights Committee, the World Health Organization, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — where roughly 95 percent of American OB-GYNs are members — have stated that abortions are essential components of health care and human rights, and oppose bans and extreme restrictions on abortion access. The Texas Medical Association, the largest state medical society in the nation, released a statement opposing recent anti-abortion Texas legislation as well as an immediate statement following the Roe reversal assuring their stance “against intrusions by government or other third parties that impede the patient-physician relationship, and any criminalization of acceptable and appropriate medical practices that may jeopardize that relationship or patients’ safety.”

In light of the decision to overturn Roe, which could leave millions of women with restricted healthcare options, here is a list of resources to learn more about the basic facts on abortion and organizations that seek to increase access to reproductive health services.

Educational Resources

• Learn more about important facts and figures to know about abortion in America here.
• The WHO’s Abortion Fact Sheet provides statistics, policy recommendations, and a database on global abortion policies.
• Planned Parenthood’s comprehensive guide for unplanned pregnancy.
• Amnesty International’s Key Facts on Abortions.
• Abortion Finder provides a directory of verified abortion service providers in the U.S, as well as state-by-state guides, information on the process of getting an abortion, and how to access abortion pills online.
• Track abortion policies and statistics for each state with this interactive map from the New York Times or this state-by-state guide from Politico.

Organizations

• All-Options is a judgement-free organization dedicated to helping women understand all the options available to them when dealing with pregnancy, whether that be parenting, adoption, or abortion.
• Companies like Netflix, Tesla, Amazon, and others have vowed to help pay for travel and lodging expenses for employees in states with restrictive laws seeking out-of-state abortions. See a full list here.
• The National Network of Abortion Funds supports over 80 member organizations throughout the country that provide financial, educational, and practical resources in their area. Find your local fund here. There are multiple organizations in almost every state, as well as international organizations. 
• The Texas Equal Access (TEA) Fund is part of NNAF and helps low-income North, East, and West Texans seeking abortions. It also advocates for abortion access as a fundamental human right. There are a number of other Texas-based organizations, see our article here for a longer list.
• Aid Access provides online consultations for abortion pills by mail worldwide. Hey Jane provides consultations and abortion pills for patients in New York, California, Washington, Illinois, Colorado, and New Mexico.
• The Repro Legal Helpline provides free legal information and support for people seeking abortions and other reproductive healthcare.
• The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) provides counseling, information, and medical services to survivors of sexual assault.
• If planning on attending a protest, make sure you know your protest rights.



-Casey Dawson, Jamie Epstein

This is an updated version of this Causes article.