The Newbie: The Fight for Abortion Rights Continues

Welcome to “The Newbie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s New Year’s tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day.  

This was, to say the least, a wild year for abortion rights. Heading into 2022, we knew the battle for abortion rights would continue in states around the country. But when the Supreme Court  overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, the Action Fund and allies across the country had to take the fight to a whole new level.

Over the last few months, we’ve seen over a third of states across the country move quickly to ban abortion — forcing people to travel across state lines for care or remain pregnant against their will. But we’ve also had reasons to remain hopeful: seeing people pour into the streets, springing into action, supporting abortion funds, and voting like their futures depend on it. 

The New Year comes with renewed energy for the fight ahead. Below, read what to expect from 2023 and a few reminders of what we’re taking with us from this past year.

THE BATTLE FOR ABORTION RIGHTS CONTINUES IN THE STATES

Most state lawmakers will soon return for their first legislative sessions since the midterm elections and the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that allowed states to ban abortion. Abortion rights and sexual and reproductive health care will continue to be at the forefront of state legislative battles. Right now, bans have eliminated all or some access to abortion in 18 states, leaving one in three American women of reproductive age, and more people who can become pregnant, without the power to control their own bodies. 

This year, anti-abortion rights politicians are likely to continue their efforts to ban and further restrict abortion where it is still available. These attacks will likely include attempts to prevent patients from accessing abortion outside of their state, criminalizing people who help patients get care, and even blocking people from obtaining basic health care information and resources. 

Hostile lawmakers are also targeting other sexual and reproductive health services like birth control, in vitro fertilization, and gender-affirming care, especially for transgender youth. 

Through activism and organizing, the Action Fund, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations and allies across the country are prepared to fight back and defeat these dangerous policies, just like our movement did last year in states like South Carolina — where anti-abortion rights politicians attempted and repeatedly failed to pass a total abortion ban. Every day with access is a win, and our movement will keep fighting to restore rights where it can through legislation, litigation, ballot initiatives, and more. 

The Action Fund and local Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will also work with reproductive rights champions in state legislatures across the country to protect and expand access by enshrining abortion rights into state law, increasing funding for care, and repealing harmful restrictions. Thanks to key electoral victories in the 2022 midterms, there are new opportunities for proactive efforts in states like Michigan, where lawmakers are poised to repeal the state’s 1931 criminal abortion ban, and Minnesota where leaders can pass the Protect Reproductive Options (PRO Act) to enshrine every person’s right to control their own body into Minnesota law. 

HISTORIC NUMBER OF JUDGES CONFIRMED, MORE TO COME NEXT CONGRESS

Even with the slimmest of majorities, President Biden and Senate Democrats confirmed a historic number of judges over the last two years — 97 Article III judges — including a Supreme Court justice, 28 circuit court judges, and 68 district court judges. 

As the American people learned firsthand in 2022, the judiciary plays an essential role in deciding and protecting our sexual and reproductive rights. In the New Year, we hope the Senate will continue to confirm President Biden’s nominees who believe in our right to bodily autonomy. 

This is more important than ever as we head into the first full year without the federal constitutional protection of the right to abortion. Right now, various cases at the federal level are part of an ongoing effort to further restrict sexual and reproductive health care, including cases to limit Title X, require parental consent for birth control under Title X, end the FDA availability of mifepristone, block the ACA from requiring insurance plans to cover preventative services like PrEP, and block ETMALA enforcement. Read a breakdown from Planned Parenthood Federation of America of sexual and reproductive health cases to keep an eye on here.

The bottom line: Judges matter — and will continue to matter — in the coming year.

THE PEOPLE’S VERDICT IS IN: TOGETHER WE MUST SUPPORT ABORTION ACCESS

Since Roe was overturned in June 2022, support for abortion access has remained steadfast. Most people believe that the decision to have an abortion should be left to a woman and her doctor, and that politicians are not informed enough to create fair policies around abortion. A month after the Supreme Court gave states the right to ban abortion, a third of Americans named abortion as one of the “single most important” issues to influence their midterm votes, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. And for the first time ever, Latino voters, specifically, identified abortion among their top five issues: more than 70% of people polled believe it should remain legal, according to a report by UnidosUS and Mi Familia Vota. Voters across the country made their support clear during the 2022 election when they voted for abortion access champions and ballot measures that protect abortion access. 

Beyond the data and elections, members of the arts and entertainment community used their platforms to educate and galvanize supporters to protect abortion rights. This year, there were 60 abortion plotlines or mentions on television, and one-third of those plotlines dealt with barriers to abortion care — more than any previous year.

As news spread that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe, creators, artists, and influencers showed up for abortion rights. In 2022, the fashion industry united in a Bans Off Our Bodies Day of Action. Young artists and influencers — including Jenna Ortega, Olivia Rodrigo, and 158 more — condemned the Supreme Court’s plan to upend Roe in a full-page New York Times ad. Other artists, such as rappers Latto and Megan Thee Stallion, used spotlight moments to speak up and tell the world to keep abortion bans off our bodies. 

ABORTION HAS BEEN, IS, AND WILL ALWAYS BE… HEALTH CARE

Abortion is effective, safe health care. What's dangerous are stigma and policies that restrict people from accessing abortion and any other forms of sexual and reproductive health care. Because of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, millions of people who can become pregnant — but who don’t want to be or for medical reasons decide they shouldn’t be — are now at risk of being forced to carry pregnancies against their will at the risk of their health and lives. The time it takes to amass the resources needed to obtain an abortion under highly restrictive policies is time spent delaying access to time-sensitive care. 

We must never forget that nearly 1 in 4 women in the U.S. will have an abortion by the time they’re 45 years old. Widespread loss of abortion access is a public health crisis, and not only affects individual people, but the mental and financial health and well-being of entire communities.

• The vast majority of people who have abortions do not regret their decision. In fact, according to the Turnaway Study, more than 95% of women who have had an abortion report that it was the right decision for them — and that feelings of relief outweigh any negative emotion they might have, even years later. 
• Of all women who get abortions, about 59% already have children. All people should have the right to make their own decisions about their bodies, their futures, and their families.
• Research by the University of Colorado-Boulder shows that banning abortion nationwide could lead to a 33% increase in pregnancy-related deaths among Black women, compared with rates for 2017.
• People denied abortion care are more likely to experience hardships like debt, eviction, and bankruptcy. 
• Others who manage their abortions outside the traditional health care system risk criminalization, especially those in Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities.

As we look to the New Year, we must continue, together, to work toward making sexual and reproductive health resources — including abortion, sex education, birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings, and more — accessible to all people.