The State of Abortion

The Supreme Court has taken our freedom, overturned our fundamental right to abortion and turned its back on nearly 50 years of precedent. This decision goes against the will of the people: 80% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal. This decision will embolden narrow-minded lawmakers to ban abortion across the U.S., forcing people to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles for care or carry a pregnancy to term against their will.

The Community Action Fund of Planned Parenthood of Orange & San Bernardino Counties (CAF) will not back down. Everyone—no matter where they live, their income, or access to transportation—should have the freedom and power to control their personal reproductive decisions.

While we are fortunate to have the right to abortion in California, we cannot take it for granted. We need your help to maintain California’s progressive values and access to safe and legal abortion

Below you can find information about how we’ve arrived at this crisis point in the fight for reproductive rights, and how you can get involved in helping to ensure access to care.

How Did We End Up Here?

Dobbs v. Jackson

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization involves a Mississippi law that bans abortion at 15-Weeks of pregnancy. Despite the fact that lower courts deemed the law unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court still agreed to hear the case and decide “whether all pre-viability prohibition on elective abortions are unconstitutional.”

The court has decided to upholds the Mississippi law, reversing its earlier decision in Roe v. Wade, and reversing nearly 50 years of precedent.

Senate Bill 8

Senate Bill 8 is a Texas law that bans abortion in the state after approximately six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they’re pregnant. The bill also allows regular citizens to sue anyone who aids in a person getting an abortion, for instance, an abortion provider, someone who paid for an abortion, or even someone who drove a patient to get an abortion. It is one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country.

Copycat Laws

After Texas’ SB 8 went into effect, conservative states throughout the country began implementing “copycat laws” modeled after SB 8. Because the Supreme Court has now officially ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, conservative states across the country have already begun, and will continue to, enact extreme abortion bans, stripping residents of those states from their right to a safe, legal, accessible abortion.

How You Can Help

Donate

Your contribution makes a crucial difference in our ability to protect and expand access to reproductive rights. Donations allow us to engage in educational and electoral activity, including voter education campaigns, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy. With help from donors, we are able to fight to ensure that California remains a reproductive freedom state, and we’re also able to fight against dangerous initiatives in other states.

Donate here.

Be sure that you are registered to vote and that you vote in EVERY election. You can help elect candidates that value access to affordable reproductive health services and comprehensive sexual health education.

Check your status here.

Share Your Abortion Story

The best way to break the stigma surrounding abortion is to talk about it. Every day Planned Parenthood staff work hard to provide the healthcare we all deserve, no matter what. With politicians determined to take away our access to healthcare, it's more important now than ever to share your abortion story and show that Planned Parenthood is a vital organization in your community.

Share why you believe in decreasing abortion stigma and what your abortion means to you. Sharing your story is up to you. Planned Parenthood provides the same quality healthcare to all, whether or not you share a personal experience. #GoodByeStigma

Share here.

Stay Informed

The Community Action Fund educates and informs the public and elected officials on issues related to reproductive freedom. We help fight for representatives who are champions for reproductive justice.

There are many opportunities to volunteer with us, attend events, or participate in advocacy efforts throughout the year. Sign up to receive email and text alerts from the Community Action Fund of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties to stay up to date with all the ways you can take action.