It has been one year since a right-wing majority of the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and the results have been dire. We know that 21 states have banned or severely restricted abortion, but the human effects of these laws are truly alarming.
An Oklahoma woman with a nonviable pregnancy was told to sit in a parking lot until her situation got worse. After being denied a medically necessary abortion, a Tennessee woman required a lifesaving hysterectomy. And three women in Texas are being sued by their friend's abusive ex-husband for helping her obtain an abortion.
There are (and will be) more such horror stories. In the first six months alone after Dobbs, over 66,000 people were unable to receive a legal abortion in their home state. Another 35,000 traveled to another state to seek an abortion. For low-income people of color, where traveling to another state may not be feasible, the effects have been harsher.
"In a truly just America," says Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, "everyone is free to make decisions about their lives, their bodies, and their futures with dignity—including the decision to pursue abortion care without fear, shame, or systemic barriers."
Sign the petition to Congress: Decriminalize abortion. Pass the Abortion Justice Act.
Campaign Action
The Abortion Justice Act is one of the most proactive steps we can take to counter these hateful state laws that ban abortion. The law would build the infrastructure necessary to systematically expand access to abortion care and ensure every person is able to exercise their fundamental reproductive rights.
Introduced by Pressley and supported by a broad coalition of reproductive health advocates, the Abortion Justice Act has the following elements:
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Calls for necessary federal investments in abortion care, including training, research, outreach, doula care, and innovation.
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Requires insurance coverage to include abortion care.
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Protects patients and providers from criminalization.
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Affirms a legal right to abortion and miscarriage care.
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Removes systemic barriers to care, including for immigrant families.
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Addresses disparities and systemic racism in the health care system.
A copy of the bill text can be found here.
It's not enough to just oppose a federal ban on abortion (like what many Republicans are calling for), or to pass a federal law making abortion legal. Even before Roe was overturned, many people were unable to access abortion care.
Access to abortion care is a critical part of making it a human right. That is why the Abortion Justice Act would provide the federal government's resources, and hold health insurance companies accountable so that people seeking an abortion may have the ability and dignity to do so.
Sign the petition: Abortion is a human right. Support the Abortion Justice Act to ensure that all have access without fear, shame, or systemic barriers.