ADVISORY: Planned Parenthood Advocacy and Political Organizations to Hold Week of Action Marking Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

If you are interested in covering/attending an event, please email [email protected].

Washington, D.C. — To mark what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will hold a Week of Action beginning on Thursday, January 19, with a series of events nationwide. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe and take away our federal constitutional right to abortion created a national health crisis and opened the floodgates to allow states across the country to ban abortion. Now, more than one in three people live in a state without access to essential health care. The court’s devastating decision also led to a wave of energy and fury from voters, who made their support for reproductive freedom crystal clear at the polls in November. 

While this Roe anniversary is a reminder of what we’ve lost, it is also a reminder that Roe was never enough to ensure access to abortion, and that we need to ensure everyone has the ability to control their own lives. With 18 states enforcing bans on all or some abortions, people seeking abortions need support and care from their communities and the communities where they need to travel. During this Week of Action, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will work to reduce abortion stigma and take tangible action to support patients through trainings, rallies, and abortion care basket assembly events across the country. Abortion care baskets are filled with items to support patients after an abortion, like heating pads, fuzzy socks, and coloring pages. 

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“Last year, the Supreme Court delivered a devastating blow by ending the federal constitutional right to an abortion and erasing nearly 50 years of precedent. We turned our outrage into action, sending an undeniable message to all those who want to take away our fundamental rights: this fight is far from over. Just six months after the court’s decision, support for abortion is at an all-time high. Some states have passed proactive legislation to protect our freedoms, we’ve won six of six ballot referendums on this issue, and voters elected reproductive rights champions at all levels of government. 

“On what would have been the 50th anniversary of a landmark decision, we will continue to do the hard work of educating our communities and fighting so that all who seek care can access it. And while we acknowledge what we’ve lost, we know that Roe was never enough to guarantee abortion access for many communities, given politicians’ ongoing attacks on our freedom. Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations are working toward a better world than we’ve had before and will never stop fighting to ensure that we can control our own bodies, our lives, and our futures.”

Among the events taking place:

• Jan 19: Planned Parenthood Action Council of Utah Abortion Care Kit Assembly Party in Salt Lake City with Senator Nate Blouin, Council Member Darin Mano, and Council Member Alejandro Puy.
• Jan 21: Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio Abortion Action Blitz Rally at the Ohio statehouse in Columbus with state lawmakers
• Jan 22: Rally In Tally with Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates in Tallahassee
• Jan 23: Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Rally for Roe at the Statehouse Annex in Trenton with ​​with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman
• Jan 23: Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates Roe Anniversary Event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with members of the PA’s Women’s Health Caucus
• Additional Roe anniversary abortion care basket assembly events in Minnesota, Maine, Florida, Vermont, Nevada, South Carolina, and Hawaii
• Additional Roe anniversary abortion stigma training events in Texas, Washington, New York, California, Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Florida, New Jersey, Alaska, and Illinois.

If you are interested in covering/attending an event, please email [email protected]. 

Abortion bans have eliminated all or some abortion in 18 states, and more states could enact bans this year or begin enforcing old ones that are already on the books. The consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision have been as clear as they have been devastating. Due to centuries of systemic discrimination, these bans fall hardest on Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with low incomes, people in rural areas, and LGBTQ+ people. In states with abortion bans, people are being forced to travel hundreds or thousands of miles out of state for care — if they can afford to do so. Others are managing their abortions outside of the health care system or carrying a pregnancy to term against their will. Banning abortion is dangerous, deeply unpopular, and people will not stand for it. Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations remain committed to restoring, protecting, and expanding access to safe, legal abortion and sexual and reproductive health care to ensure that everyone can get the care they need and deserve, regardless of where they live or how much they earn. 

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