Post Roe v. Wade

CONTACT: Planted, not Buried

Author : Isabel Schroeder

Post Roe v. Wade

August 10th, 2022 

The world has been reacting to the surprising decision the supreme court made this past summer with the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. On June 24, 2022, Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion, was overturned. This is traumatic for a majority of the country. Research has shown that abortion bans most severely impact people in marginalized groups who already struggle to access health care. 

So far, thirteen states have laws designed to take effect automatically if Roe no longer applies—Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Over the years, many states also intentionally passed laws that conflicted with Roe's “viability standard.” For example, the Mississippi law at issue in Dobbs was passed in 2018, long after Roe v. Wade. Most of these kinds of post-Roe laws were blocked by judges before but could be enforced now. A whopping total of 36 million women of reproductive age who live in those 26 states are in danger daily. Each will soon have to travel significantly longer to get out-of-state care.

There are steps being made to combat the courts’ decision. Dobbs allows states to set their own abortion policies, some are reacting expectedly. For example, lawmakers in California, are considering news laws designed to ease access to abortion, reduce costs, and protect people from law enforcement actions if they have an abortion or help provide one. And finally, President Biden signed an executive order on abortion in early July 2022. The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to protect access to medication abortion, ensures emergency medical care for pregnant women and women experiencing pregnancy loss, protects access to contraception, and increases outreach and public education efforts regarding access to reproductive health care services, including abortion. 

Please feel free to contact us at Planted not, Buried at plantednb.com for more information. 

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