Women’s health statistics don’t lie: We are in a state of emergency for women’s health in the U.S.
In America, the rate of death for women of reproductive age is on the rise. Women are 50% more likely to die in childbirth than 30 years ago, and Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die than white women. Sexually transmitted infections are at a record high in the U.S. for the 4th year in a row, with a 30% increase in the 5 years ending in 2017.
Against this troubling backdrop, women's access to reproductive health care in America is under attack by an unprecedented wave of legislative actions that further threaten women's health.
On June 1, 2019, Missouri was poised to become the first state in the U.S. with NO health center that provides abortion.
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, 1 in 3 women of reproductive age — more than 25 million women — would be living in states without abortion access. Banning abortion care will not stop abortion — it will stop safe, legal abortion care. And the cost will be women’s lives. We are in a state of emergency for women’s health. Barriers to reproductive care will only worsen health outcomes and exacerbate disparities and inequities. Fighting to make sure women have access to reproductive health care is more important than ever.
No Abortion Bans: Not Now, Not Ever
Here's how you can take action to stop the extreme abortion bans sweeping the country.
Women’s Access to Health Care in America Has Become a Nationwide Public Health Crisis
Abortion Ban(s) Introduced in 2019: (Magenta)
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia
Abortion Ban(s) Enacted in 2019: (Dark Gray)
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah
19 million women in the U.S. live in reproductive health deserts
(geographic areas with a dearth of medical providers)
90% of counties
across the nation lack a provider of abortion care
27 large cities are abortion deserts,
where women must travel 100 miles or more to get abortion care
There is a nearly 1,200-mile-wide desert
of abortion providers stretching from Idaho to North and South Dakota
6 states currently have only 1 provider
KY, MS, MO, ND, SD, WV — on June 1, one state may have none (MO)
6 states enacted bills that ban abortion care before most women know they are pregnant
including a near total ban on abortion care enacted in Alabama
In 2019, 303 bills restricting abortion care have been filed in 47 states
135 of these bills are bans on abortion in some, or all, circumstances
Since 2011, more than 430 abortion restrictions
have been signed into law
A View From the States
ALABAMA
Banned abortion from the time a woman is “known to be pregnant”; no exceptions for rape and incest
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state could investigate women for miscarriages
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most punitive ban signed since Roe was decided, charging doctors with a Class A felony and up to 99 years in prison
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highest cervical cancer mortality rate in the U.S.
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4th worst infant mortality rate in the U.S.
GEORGIA
Banned abortion at 6 weeks
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state could investigate women’s miscarriages
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doctors could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison
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2nd worst maternal mortality rate in the U.S. (10 times higher than California)
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half of Georgia counties do not have a single OB-GYN
MISSOURI
Banned abortion at 8 weeks with no exceptions for rape and incest
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state could investigate women’s miscarriages
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doctors could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison
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maternal mortality rate is 50% higher than the U.S.
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congenital syphilis is at its highest rate in nearly two decades
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5 counties in Missouri face a 1,000% increase in syphilis
OHIO
Banned abortion at 6 weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest
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doctors could be sentenced to up to one year in prison
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defunded Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies — a program that worked to reduce maternal and infant mortality
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introduced a bill requiring sex education materials to “clearly and consistently state that abortion kills a living human being”
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stripped Violence Against Women Act funds from Planned Parenthood
TEXAS
Bill introduced that would criminalize women for having an abortion and could subject them to the death penalty
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no exceptions for rape, incest, or medical emergency
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58% of public school districts teach abstinence-only sex education
Fighting Back for Access to Women’s Health Care
In response to the hundreds of restrictions placed on abortion care, states are making efforts to strengthen and codify fundamental health care access:
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9 states introduced legislation that codifies Roe vs. Wade and the right of every person to safe, legal abortion care
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16 states introduced legislation that repeal a range of restrictions on abortion access, including TRAP regulations and mandatory waiting periods
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10 states are expanding reproductive health coverage to people with low incomes
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5 states introduced legislation that would reduce abortion deserts by allowing advanced practice clinicians to provide abortion care
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All 50 states: On May 21, 2019, hundreds of thousands of supporters attended over 500 events to #StopTheBans. In city after city, people rallied to protest abortion bans and voiced their support for protecting women’s health.
