This morning, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of the constitutional right to abortion. In an opinion reflecting the 5-4 majority—a draft of which had been leaked last month—Associate Justice Samuel Alito declared that Roe “was egregiously wrong from the start” and had “enflamed debate and deepened division.” Nearly half of states are expected to issue all but total bans on abortion, and 13 states already had “trigger bans” in place to outlaw abortion as soon as Roe was overturned. The court’s decision will make it severely harder for people to get access to reproductive care, forcing them to travel hundreds of miles to access a clinic. Those who are already struggling—namely, low-income people and people of color—will be the hardest hit.
Pro-choice lawmakers are scrambling right now to mitigate the decision. In the interim, here are some ways to take action.
Donate to an Abortion Fund
Access to abortion care will largely depend on where someone lives. The 13 states most swiftly facing bans are Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
To help people who are facing the worst restrictions, donate to an on-the-ground abortion fund that can help provide transportation, lodging, and other direct assistance to patients who might need the services. You can find a list of local abortion funds by state here. The Yellowhammer Fund serves the Deep South, especially Alabama and Missisippi, and the Indigenous Women Rising has an abortion fund open to all Indigenous people in the United States and Canada. You can also donate to Planned Parenthood, which provides sex education and reproductive care around the country.
Support Reproductive Justice Organizations
Reproductive justice organizations go beyond abortions and recognize that the right to bodily autonomy includes access to contraception, pregnancy care, sex education, and more. Some reproductive justice organizations doing education, advocacy, and support work include: SisterSong, the largest multi-ethnic reproductive justice collective; the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice; and the Texas-based Afiya Center, founded to assist marginalized women at risk of contracting HIV/AIDs.
Stay Informed
NARAL is the longest-running national abortion advocacy group in the country and lobbies to expand abortion and birth control access, fight for parental leave, and prevent discrimination due to pregnancy. The organization’s website has fact-sheets, information about congressional track records, and breakdowns of laws in each state.
Speak With Your Legislators, Engage With Your Community
Pressure your local government to take legislative action to protect reproductive rights. Here’s a guide to calling your congressperson.
Additionally, it is never too late to engage with these issues on a community level. “Just get involved with the people who are doing [that kind of work already] because there are a lot of security protocols and if you can’t give of your time or your money, that’s fine,” reproductive justice activist Renee Bracey Sherman told The Meteor. “You can just show up with love and support for the people in your life who need abortions and start the conversation at home. That’s really where we need to do the work.”
