Heading Into A Post-Roe World

What the fuck comes next?

Did you wake up feeling as exhausted and depressed as we did? 

Last night, Politico published a leaked draft of a Supreme Court majority opinion indicating that SCOTUS will be, in no uncertain terms, overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case which provided federal constitutional protections for abortion care. In the drafted majority opinion, conservative Justice Samuel Alito offers what Politico rightly termed a “full-throated, unflinching repudiation” of both Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). 

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” writes Alito, separately concluding, “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.”

The implications of this decision, which is likely to officially come down some time in June, are far-reaching and terrifying. A 2021 Guttmacher report predicted that 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe is overturned. Thirteen states have passed trigger laws, which would ban at least the majority of abortions if Roe were overturned, and nine states have not rolled back their pre-1973 abortion bans, which means they would go back into effect if Roe were overturned. 

And, as many experts and activists who have been working on these issues far longer than we have have wisely pointed out, the anti-abortion movement will not stop with overturning Roe. It is likely that if Republicans regain control of Congress, they will swiftly push for a federal abortion ban to be passed. Sexual education, birth control, gay marriage, interracial marriage… they will all potentially be on the table, vulnerable to similar lines of legal and legislative attack. 

We knew this was coming. We saw the writing on the wall. We’ve seen it for years. And yet, you can’t ever quite predict how it will feel when the asteroid you saw hovering above the earth comes crashing down into it. It is easy to feel useless, disempowered, tired and hopeless. We feel all of those things. We are also so very grateful that there are people on the ground who refuse to give into those impulses. 

If this feels personal to you, it’s because it absolutely is. 

It feels personal to us as well. Having gone through a very wanted pregnancy and childbirth, Claire is crystal clear that this experience is physically – and often emotionally – harrowing. It’s often dangerous and can even be deadly, especially for Black people, who face a staggeringly high maternal mortality rate in this country. A desired pregnancy can be grueling; a forced one is torture. And even a wanted pregnancy can result in life-threatening complications for the pregnant person or fetus, making abortion an essential part of compassionate, effective care amid an agonizing loss. The thought of becoming pregnant again without access to abortion is, frankly, bone-chilling.

For Emma, access to safe, free and effective long-term contraception has meant freedom. A lack of abortion care is not just devastating because it means living in a society hellbent on emotionally and physically traumatizing forced birth, but also because of the well of human potential lost when people do not have control over their own bodies, and their own reproductive destinies. It feels terrifying to even think about having a child – something Emma thinks about a lot these days, as she is approaching 35 – if that child will be brought into a world that will not respect their most basic bodily autonomy, or support parents and children who are brought into this world both loved and wanted. 

We know how lucky and privileged we are. We know how many others will be impacted in far more devastating ways than we will be, and many have already suffered from the underfunding of and cruel restrictions on reproductive healthcare in this country. We are steeling ourselves for a long-term fight. We hope you will join us. 

Key things to remember:

Abortion is currently legal. Take this time to inform yourself, take a deep breath and follow the lead of people who have been working on the ground. If anyone in your life has an appointment for upcoming abortion care, they should absolutely still go to it. 

Banning abortion will not stop abortions. Abortions will always happen. They will simply move underground and become less safe. 

Birthing people with means will also likely always be able to gain access to care. The people who will be most devastatingly impacted by this decision – and already are by the myriad abortion restrictions that have already been passed since 1973 – are the most marginalized among us. Center them in your advocacy. 

Where to donate:

As we face the likelihood of millions of people losing abortion access, now is the moment to commit to shoring up local abortion funds and organizations. Pregnant people already need help on the ground to afford, travel for, and access proper care for abortion, and that need will grow exponentially. 

Restrictions and bans on abortion fall disproportionately on people who are marginalized and under-resourced. Consider donating to funds and organizations led by and focused on the reproductive needs of Black, Latinx, indigenous, disabled and poor people.

This list is by no means comprehensive. Please drop good organizations to donate to in the comments; we will continue to share more in future newsletters.

• Find and donate to your local abortion funds: http://abortionfunds.org/need-abortion

• Donate to local abortion funds nationwide: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fundabortionnow 

• Donate to keep independent clinics open: https://keepourclinics.org/donate/

• Donate to help people learn how to safely access medication abortions: https://www.plancpills.org/guide-how-to-get-abortion-pills

• Donate to Black feminist organizations mobilizing against abortion bans and providing reproductive healthcare: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bffforaccess

Set up one or more recurring donations, if you can afford it; these organizations will continue to need more support as legal access to abortion is restricted across the country. 

What else to do:

• Call your elected representatives in Congress and demand that they pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. If you aren’t sure who your representative and senators are or what their office numbers are, you can call (202) 224-3121 for the U.S. House switchboard operator.

• Show up in person. Abortion rights marches and protests are currently being planned (for today!) all over the country, including on the steps of SCOTUS in D.C. and in Foley Square in New York City. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are great places to surface gatherings in your area. 

• Check out this live-updated document of resources and actions put together by Alison Turkos.