This week marks 48 years since the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade established the legal right to an abortion. Yet nearly half a century later, abortion access is already out of reach for many people, making Roe meaningless for them.
Since 2011, more than 480 abortion restrictions have been enacted in this country at the state level. These restrictions make abortion increasingly inaccessible for people with low incomes and Black and brown people who already are forced to navigate a legacy of racist and discriminatory systems. Let’s be clear: Access to abortion should not depend on your income, race or ZIP code.
And with Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court in 2020, solidifying a 6-3 majority hostile to reproductive rights, abortion access is at even greater risk. Right now, 18 abortion-related cases are only one step away from reaching the Supreme Court — meaning Roe could be overturned or gutted, eliminating what little access is left.
Already this month, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request to reinstate a medically unnecessary mandate that forces patients to travel to a health center and risk COVID-19 exposure in order to access safe abortion medication, which has a 0.4% risk of major complications.
This dangerous ruling only serves to create more barriers to care, especially for vulnerable people already suffering from higher rates of illness, death and economic hardship because of the pandemic.
If Roe is overturned, more than 25 million women of reproductive age living in 20 states, including our neighbors in Idaho, are poised to lose access to abortion in their home state. People of color already have less access to sexual and reproductive health care, which leads to more unintended pregnancies, so they will bear the brunt of harm.
Black, Latinx and other communities of color already have been disproportionately impacted by the dual public health crises of COVID-19 and systemic racism. And just this month, they watched as our highest elected leaders condoned and inspired white supremacist violence at the U.S. Capitol.
Thankfully, with the election of President Joe Biden, we begin a new chapter. In addition, we are very excited to have Kamala Harris as the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of Indian descent as vice president.
Meanwhile, Oregonians elected Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, a champion for voting rights who has worked to eliminate barriers and increase access to the ballot. Voters also re-elected Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who led a multistate lawsuit against Donald Trump’s unethical Title X gag rule. In addition, voters soundly approved Ballot Measure 108 to protect the Oregon Health Plan, which countless Planned Parenthood patients rely on.
The majority of voters sent a resounding message in this election, demanding a more fair and just society with timely access to health care, including sexual and reproductive care.
Long before the election, Americans have been clear about where they stand: Nearly 90% of women will use birth control in their lifetimes; 77% of Americans don’t want to see Roe overturned; and a majority of young people, across political parties, support federal funding for abortion even though it is prohibited by the Hyde Amendment.
While we celebrate these tremendous victories, we know that there is so much that must be done straight away. Biden must take swift action and issue an executive order explicitly stating his commitment to halting harmful Trump-era policies and regulations. Specifically, we need him to end gag rules; restrictions on abortion coverage, to the fullest extent of presidential powers; outdated restrictions on medication abortion; and rollbacks of access to birth control and anti-discrimination and refusal policies.
At the same time, states across the country need not only to expand abortion access but also to fight to protect access in places where it is already under attack and hanging on by a thread.
Here in Oregon, we have already seen what bold and necessary action to expand abortion access looks like. After Trump was elected, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon joined a broad coalition to pass the Reproductive Health Equity Act. This historic legislation not only protects abortion rights in Oregon — no matter what happens to Roe — but it also expands reproductive health coverage to Oregonians who were previously ineligible because of their citizenship status.
But even here in Oregon, we must redouble our efforts to keep us on the frontlines of reproductive freedom and to ensure that we remain a haven state for those who could lose access to abortion. The health services provided by Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette and Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon have been a core part of the social safety net in our state for more than 50 years, and they serve more than 60,000 people every year. For many of these patients, particularly in remote areas like Central Oregon and the Rogue Valley, Planned Parenthood is their only source of health care.
According to a data analysis by an economist at Middlebury College, rural Oregonians would be directly affected if Idaho’s trigger law were allowed to take effect. Based on the impact of clinic closures in Texas, researchers estimate that Malheur County would see up to a 35% decline in legal abortions, while Baker County would experience a decline of up to 5%. This is unacceptable.
As we mark Roe’s 48th anniversary, more than ever, we must acknowledge the legal right to abortion isn’t enough. We need to expand access so that reproductive freedom is a reality for every person.
The time is now — with this new administration and Congress and its state-level allies — to not just undo the damage from the Trump administration but to advance bold, proactive policies that create a world in which every person has full control of their bodies, their rights, their democracy and their futures.