June 24, 2022 will forever be seared into my memory as the day Roe v. Wade (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization) was overturned. Since then, there has been a vacant feeling in my chest from where by heart was yanked out of its place. Just typing the date brings tears streaming down my face. My tears, always present under the surface, are triggered with each and every news headline announcing the latest attempt to either further limit abortion access or the swift action many states have taken this last year to codify abortion rights.
What a year it has been!
As of June 3, 2023, less than half (20 states) of states have unrestricted legal access to abortion services. Abortion has either been eliminated or completely banned in another 13 states, while various restrictions or litigation to restrict services is in effect in the remaining 17 states. The message behind this action says in more than half our country, people have limited access to resources and do not have a voice in their own health care. Their health care decisions are not being made themselves or by their medical team, but by politicians. Those same politicians will continue to restrict care to their constituents, but not everyone will be affected by these restrictions equally. These policies will only further barriers and restrictions for marginalized people, particularly people of color, trans people, people seeking birth control, and those with desired pregnancies experiencing complications.
Most recently, a federal judge in Texas issued a ruling overturning the more than 20-year FDA approval of mifepristone, one of the drugs used in medication abortion or abortion pills. Mifepristone was approved after years of study in 2000. Medication abortion, which is most effective at 10 weeks of pregnancy or less, accounts for more than half of all abortions in the US, according to the Guttmacher Institute. This affects approximately 400,000 people every year that seek abortion pills to end their pregnancies. The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the lower courts’ decision, but this case will most likely make its way back to the Supreme Court next session. We can expect the emotional roller coaster to continue, especially if this ruling takes effect, banning abortion pills in all 50 states.
The majority of Americans support abortion rights. 61% of voters polled support legalized abortion care, across both major political parties. In the last year, when this issue went before the voters, abortion won. Example across the country this last year were:
- Kansas: the first state post-Roe to codify abortion rights by voter referendum, winning 59% of the vote
- Michigan: 5% of the voters in Michigan have voted to “enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution”
- Wisconsin: Just in April, Wisconsin voters voted pro-choice candidate, Judge Janet Protasiewicz by a vote of 55.5%, flipping the conservative court to a liberal majority for the first time in years
These are just a few of the elections that have been decided that represent how voters, when pushed to the wall, come out in support of abortion care. There is no doubt this will continue to be an issue that leads campaigns in the 2024 election cycle, and we will continue to see many changes in the future.
What’s missing as part of our national abortion conversation is the stories of real people whose lives will forever be altered because of the Dobbs decision. Women like Kae, from Ohio, where abortion is banned after 6 weeks of pregnancy and her struggles to find out how far along she was and to get abortion pills in the mail before it is too late. Then there is Lilly, a teenager in Oklahoma, who found out she was pregnant at 19 weeks. Abortion is completely banned in Oklahoma. Lilly had to seek care in another state, find help with funding, and because of the limit of available appointments and travel involved, barely made it in time to receive care. Lilly was lucky. She had parental support which aided her in making a trip 2 states away to end her unwanted pregnancy. Lastly, Kristen in Texas, who could not get care for a non-viable pregnancy complication until she was near septic due to Texas abortion laws. Stories like these are plentiful and heartbreaking though rarely make headlines. Your abortion story is important. If the lives of people experiencing stress, trauma, and a lack of medical care due to Dobbs aren’t told, we lose our humanity and next our ability to impact change. Consider sharing your story with the Abortion Impact Study at the University of California at San Francisco. Your voice matters.
A year ago, I committed to sharing updates and resources. All state-by-state laws are provided in the links above. There are several organizations that will provide resources to people seeking care, such as fees for abortion services, travel, childcare, and other barriers abortion restrictions create. Here are a few, but please contact HOP at cynthia@outreach-partners.org if you need referrals or support:
- Jane’s Due Process: supporting Teens in Texas to get care
- Access Reproductive Justice: A referral site for folks seeking reproductive care, including abortion
- National Network of Abortion Funds: Removes financial and logistical barriers to abortion access
I am still having a very hard time reckoning that we are in this place. This last year, I have spent countless hours reflecting on my role and the role of my generation who worked, volunteered, or donated money to support choice. So much of my emotion is tied to feeling that we let the future down. We rested on our laurels, believed Roe was iron clad, became complacent, and did not pay attention to the long game played by the opposition in changing local legislation and chipping away at abortion protection and freedom. We also did not focus sufficiently on the existing barriers and gaps in abortion care experienced historically by under resourced communities. Those gaps needed to be supported from a lens of equity and antiracism from the beginning. We have failed our sisters, daughters, pregnant patients, LGBTQ+ community, neighbors, and friends.
I heard some of the stories above on a recent podcast episode of This American Life. It ends with reporter, Caroline Kitchener, of the Washington Post, saying that “There will be a moment, probably soon, when we’ll all just get used to the idea that people travel hundreds of miles and cross state lines to get abortions. That will just seem normal.[1]” This must NEVER seem normal. We can never become so complacent that half the population is unable to access their fundamental right to health care and think that is normal. We need to feel uncomfortable, near tears with a hole in our heart, and turn these feelings into action. We must FIGHT to bring inclusive and equitable reproductive health care, including abortion on-demand, to every single state. That will be normal.
With Gratitude- Cindy
[1] Glass, Ira, New York times, Kitchener, Caroline, Washington Post, This American Life, episode 732- Nine Months Later, Podcast audio