Antiabortion Laws

Antiabortion laws in America vary significantly by state, with some states imposing severe restrictions that effectively ban most abortions, often as early as six weeks into pregnancy. These laws have sparked intense legal and social debates, with reproductive rights advocates emphasizing the importance of women’s autonomy and access to safe medical procedures. The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, has further fueled activists’ efforts to protect reproductive freedom and ensure equitable healthcare access across the country.

Thousands of Medical Professionals Urge Supreme Court To Uphold Roe: ‘Provide Patients With the Treatment They Need’

PUBLISHED 6/21/2022 by

Over 2,500 healthcare professionals from all 50 states have signed a letter urging the Supreme Court to scrap their leaked Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization draft opinion and uphold Roe.  

“As medical professionals, we have a duty to provide our patients with the treatment they need to be safe and healthy. Patients should be able to make their own decisions about their health, using science and medical guidance from their physicians, without interference or influence from politics or the courts.”

Number of U.S. Abortions Increased 8 Percent During Trump Administration, Reversing 30-Year Trend: ‘The Need for Abortion Care Is Growing’

PUBLISHED 6/21/2022 by

The number of abortions in the U.S. increased by 8 percent during the Trump-Pence administration. Overall, fewer people became pregnant, but among those who did, a larger proportion chose to have an abortion. About one in five pregnancies in 2020 ended in abortion.

This research reveals a dramatic reversal of a 30-year trend of declining numbers of abortion, “underscoring that the need for abortion care in the United States is growing just as the U.S. Supreme Court appears likely to overturn or gut Roe v. Wade.”

Abortion Clinics’ Post-Roe Future: ‘We Will Be Forced to Close Our Doors Within 30 Days’

PUBLISHED 6/18/2022 by and

A decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is due out any day, one that feminist organizers are now sure will reverse Roe v. Wade and strip millions of their longstanding right to abortion. Clinics in protected areas are bracing for an influx of patients while those in anti-abortion states are preparing to operate in a hostile environment — or shut down completely.

“We are aware that Washington and other states where abortion is legally protected are being seen as the safety net,” said clinic director Sanchez in Washington. “And honestly, the safety net has holes in it.”

Reproductive Rights Pioneer Sheds Light on His Battle Against Anti-Abortion Extremists

PUBLISHED 6/18/2022 by

He’s been called “the father of the abortion movement” by the Los Angeles Times and a “promoter of filth” by Catholic and evangelical conservatives, but as reproductive justice pioneer Bill Baird readies himself for his 90th birthday on June 20th, he is not thinking about his reputation. Instead, he’s as impassioned about attacks on abortion and birth control as he has ever been and remains a fierce critic of those who want to restrict access.

Baird recently spoke to Ms. reporter Eleanor J. Bader about his career as well as the ongoing struggle for reproductive freedom.

Abortion on Our Own Terms: ‘Supreme Court Justices Can’t Put Abortion Pills Back in the Bottle’

PUBLISHED 6/16/2022 by and

In response to the Supreme Court’s imminent overturning of Roe v. Wade, a coalition of over 70 reproductive health, rights and justice organizations have created a new campaign, Abortion On Our Own Terms, to educate the public about the safety and effectiveness of self-managed abortion using medications.

“We are defiant that no matter what these bigoted justices do to abortion access under the law, we know that people will continue to take abortion into their own hands.”

Leaked SCOTUS Opinion Relies on Misinformation and Tropes of the Anti-Abortion Movement

PUBLISHED 6/13/2022 by and

In the leaked opinion, Justice Alito’s use of the language “abortion-on-demand” is intentionally stigmatizing—it forwards the idea that pregnant people make capricious, immoral decisions to terminate their pregnancies. But abortion access is not the free-for-all that Alito intimates.

In fact, abortion law, in the U.S. or across the world, has not been a story of long criminalization with the blip of Roe over the last 50 years. Rather, the trend, on the whole, has been support for abortion rights and laws that reflect it.