After the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, abortion access for patients has gone through tremendous, rapid change. Millions of people who live across the 21 states that currently have abortion bans in place are now forced to travel to states with protected access like Nevada. All while the Supreme Court is set to rule on several important court cases that have the potential to impact all states, even those with protections, including a case that could permanently impact a provider’s ability to prescribe mifepristone.
All this to say, the fight for abortion access is far from over. If you’re interested in the work being done at Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada to secure your rights, but aren’t sure how to talk about it, please read the message guide below.
Setting the Stage: Nevadans support abortion rights by a broad majority
- Roe was overturned by decades of attacks, restrictions, and rollbacks that eventually led to the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, and anti-abortion activists are not done. We expect that whether through sneaky technical limits to abortion care as was common prior to the Dobbs decision, or outright bans, anti-abortion politicians and activists will continue to attack our rights despite the fact that it is unpopular. This is the beginning of a long fight, not the end of one.
- A strong majority of Nevadans support the right to an abortion, and a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom. According to a 2023 poll conducted by The Nevada Independent, 62% of Nevadans regardless of party support the constitutional amendment.
- As patients across the country are forced to endure more complicated legal landscapes, longer wait times, and more complications and unnecessary medical harm due to delayed care, one thing is clear. Guaranteeing the legal right to abortion is only the first step. But to have a truly free and functioning society, every part of a person’s reproductive health needs to be protected and equitably accessible.
Publicly Affirming Your Support for Abortion Rights:
- Poll after poll shows us that the right to an abortion is supported by the majority of people in America. But due to a variety of cultural factors including abortion stigma, people have historically been reluctant to publicly show their support for abortion rights.
- However, in the wake of the Dobbs decision and the clear impacts of increasingly cruel and punishing abortion bans and restrictions there is a moral imperative to be vocal and unequivocal in our support for not just the right to abortion, but for improved access to abortion and all other parts of reproductive health care.
- That is why we encourage Planned Parenthood supporters to be loud and proud in their support of the fight for abortion rights and reproductive freedom. This means:
- Understanding abortion stigma (the cultural belief that abortion is morally wrong and therefore minimizing or hiding it with euphemisms like choice) and avoiding it where possible. For more information about abortion stigma and how to avoid it check out our blog post.)
- Educating community members, family members, and friends about why vocally supporting the fight for abortion rights is so important and ways they can get involved.
What can Nevadans do to support the effort to protect abortion rights and reproductive freedom?
- In Nevada, we’re taking national threats to abortion access seriously. We know that relying on outdated protections might not be enough in a post-Roe world so we are ensuring that Nevadans get a say in what their abortion and reproductive health protections should look like by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall.
- We’ve already seen the harm that abortion bans have caused in states across the country, including our neighboring states like Idaho and Utah. We cannot afford to allow any more time to pass without working toward a constitutional amendment that protects a person’s right to reproductive freedom once and for all.
- Not only will Nevadans have the opportunity to affirm their support and commitment to protecting the right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution this fall, but they can also become a storyteller, volunteer with a reproductive rights organization like PPVNV, or get involved in advocacy or electoral efforts that support reproductive rights champions here in the Silver State!
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