On Our Minds 6-23-2023

Saturday marks the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade. We knew it was coming and many states across the country were already imposing abortion restrictions. But nothing could prepare us for the true impact of that decision, the ensuing nightmare, and the horrific near-death situations for women who could not receive an abortion.

 

Once SCOTUS overturned Roe, GOP-controlled statehouses across the country went on an anti-choice binge, free from oversight from the Supreme Court. They attacked everything and anyone related to women’s reproductive health care. By the 100th day after the Dobbs decision, nearly 22 million women of reproductive age—almost 1 in 3 women—found themselves living in states where abortion was unavailable or severely restricted. 

 

The Dobb’s decision has also upended women’s lives in a variety of non-health related areas. Some women postponed starting or expanding their family fearing a life-threatening complication from a pregnancy that could not be terminated. College-bound women reconsidered where they will go for their higher education based on a state’s abortion policies.

 

Restricted abortion access is also leading to career and financial consequences for women. They may choose a different career path to avoid working for a company in an anti-choice state. 

 

There have been some victories this year. For example, Illinois clarified that medication abortion is included in the state’s existing insurance coverage requirement for abortion care. Massachusetts, New York and Vermont all took action to expand medication abortion access on college and university campuses.

 

President Joe Biden continues to nominate judges to the courts who are within the judicial mainstream, all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution. By balancing out the anti-choice courts, there is hope that our courts will eventually uphold women’s rights, including legal and unobstructed access to abortion.

 

In 2022, Democrats lost the House by nearly 16 votes per district. A pro-choice Congress is within our grasp. We must be prepared to take back the House — and our lives. Elections have consequences. Support JAC’s pro-choice candidates.

 

Source: Guttmacher Institute