Abortion is under attack, and its opponents are winning. This summer, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, and the decision is widely expected to severely curtail or even overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that affirmed a constitutional right to abortion. And Republican-controlled states aren’t waiting until then to enact the strictest anti-abortion legislation in half a century.
State legislatures enacted 108 abortion restrictions in 19 states in the past year—a grim new record. These restrictions are embracing dangerous new tactics. Texas’ six-week ban, enacted in May 2021, allows lawsuits against anyone who “aids and abets” abortion, providing a $10,000 reward (plus legal fees) for successful suits. (This could even include a taxi driver who happens to give someone seeking an abortion a ride.) Any vigilante can file one of these lawsuits, and isn't liable for opposing legal fees if they lose. Notably and unexpectedly, the Supreme Court allowed Texas’ six-week abortion ban and lawsuit scheme to remain in effect in January, a potential signal that the future of Roe is in jeopardy.
Only a few months into 2022, there’s a host of new legislation targeting abortion access. Since January alone, at least 20 states have proposed bills that would restrict or ban abortion pills that have long been FDA-approved. Idaho’s Republican Governor Brad Little signed a similar version of Texas’ “bounty” legislation into law on March 23, and lawmakers in states like Tennessee and Missouri are hoping to do the same.
If Roe is indeed overturned, 21 states have existing “trigger laws” or constitutional amendments that would ban abortion as quickly as possible. The effects would be devastating—and, as always, disproportionally affect people of color, who face the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, and those who cannot afford to travel to receive care.
“For decades, people of color working to make ends meet, especially women of color, have born the brunt of abortion restrictions,” says Morgan Hopkins, interim executive director of campaigns and strategies at All* Above All, an abortion justice organization. “The moment we are in demands that all of us—whoever we are—speak out and call for immediate action from our elected officials to enact policies that support people’s ability to access abortion care.”
In other words, it’s time to call President Biden and your Congressional representatives to advocate for policies like ending the Hyde Amendment, which bars using federal Medicaid for almost all abortion services, and passing the EACH Act, which would reverse the Hyde Amendment and related coverage bans.
Overturning Roe would bring abortion laws back to the state level, creating a patchwork of jurisdictions and creating bans primarily in Republican-controlled states. In practice, it seems many people seeking abortion from states that have banned it will be traveling out of state for care or acquiring abortion pills online. So activists are supporting calls to state representatives in states where Democrats are in power to make abortion services more accessible, like California’s recent law requiring healthcare plans to offer full coverage for care.
Another tangible way to support the fight for reproductive justice is through donations to abortion funds, which break down barriers to receiving help by funding everything from travel to somewhere abortion is legal to child care during treatment. As more people need to travel out of state to get a safe abortion, this work is even more essential.
“Abortion funds are in need of a greater financial investment than ever before," says Dusty Ginner, Idaho board member of the Northwest Abortion Access Fund. For example, "Idaho is instituting a 6-week ban on abortion, [but] Seattle and Portland are making strides to become ‘abortion havens' for people across the country who need to travel for care." Given the grim political outlook for abortion access, Ginner says supporting these efforts is more important than ever. (In light of the bounty law, the Texas Equal Access Fund is a worthy candidate, or you could find a local group through the National Network of Abortion Funds.) “Men can show up for the people in their lives who are impacted by abortion restrictions by loudly and proudly funding abortion—and telling the people in their lives why it is important to protect and uphold everyone's right to full, uninhibited bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.” The future of the right to a safe abortion depends on it.
Read More12 Men Share Their Abortion StoriesHere, in a special collaboration between Glamour and GQ, 12 men share how the procedure has impacted their lives.
By Rebecca Nelson