September 28, 2022 – October 2nd marks 100 days since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In that time, millions of people have lost access to abortion care. Abortion is now illegal in 13 states and 3 other states are currently enforcing pre-viability bans, ranging from six to 18 weeks of pregnancy. Doctors now face penalties as severe as life in prison for violating these bans.  


In the last 100 days:

  • Nearly 80 million people in the U.S. have lost access to abortion across thirteen states: AL; AR; AZ; ID; KY; LA; MS; MO; OK; SD; TN; TX; and WV.
     
  • At least 50 clinics have been forced to cease abortion services.  
     
  • Clinics in other states have become inundated with patients. One southern Illinois clinic reported a 40% increase in patients after Roe was overturned, with 86% of patients traveling from out-of-state.
     
  • Wait times at clinics have become longer with patients waiting up to three weeks for an appointment, pushing procedures later into pregnancy.
     
  • Louisiana clinic Hope Medical Group had a wait list of over 500 patients when it was forced to close in August after the state’s trigger bans took effect.
     

Efforts to protect and expand abortion access since Roe fell include:

  • Eight states have passed bills to protect access since Roe fell: CA; CT; DE; ME; MD; MA; NJ; and NY. Six of those states passed interstate shield bills designed to protect abortion providers within the state from being targeted for helping out-of-state patients.
     
  • California, New York, and Oregon have additionally launched or introduced initiatives to specifically help people traveling from other states for care.
     
  • The U.S. House of Representatives passed two abortion rights bills in July: the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) and Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. This is the second time the House has passed WHPA.
     
  • The Biden Administration has taken 16 executive actions to protect abortion access, including: the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Idaho’s ban, arguing that it violates federal requirements to provide life-saving medical care; allowing states to use Medicaid coverage to pay for out-of-state abortion coverage; and a new Veteran Affairs rule making abortion care available to veterans in certain cases.

We envision a world where every person participates with dignity as an equal member of society, regardless of gender. Where every woman is free to decide whether or when to have children and whether to get married; where access to quality reproductive health care is guaranteed; and where ever woman can make these decisions free from coercion or discrimination.  www.reproductiverights.org