Friend – tomorrow marks one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and we're in the middle of a crisis.

States across the country have banned abortion, creating criminal penalties for those who provide and help others access abortion care. In some cases, prosecutors have even charged people who have had abortions. And, these laws are disproportionately harming Black, Brown, and low-income individuals who already face barriers to accessing reproductive health care and who are over-policed by the criminal justice system.

We're confronting this injustice head-on. As the director of the Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative, I'm working to connect those who may face criminal investigation or prosecution related to abortion with a network of experienced criminal defense attorneys who are ready to fight for them.

Our work to build this initiative is ongoing, ACLU Supporter. But with so much work to be done, the ACLU needs your generous support to continue this vital work in the months and years ahead.

Abortion is essential health care – plain and simple. Everyone should be free to make that personal decision for themselves.

Angel Kai, We Testify storyteller, shared her experience, noting, "One misconception about people who get abortions is that we're not responsible, or we don't want the responsibility of having a child. They couldn't be more wrong. I was being responsible in getting my abortion because I knew I could not afford it and wanted to be a good parent for the child I already had."

Everyone should have the right to make their own decisions about their own body, their own family, and their own future.

We won't back down and I am betting, ACLU Supporter, neither will you.

Your time-sensitive contribution will help us get charges dropped for patients and doctors alike – and support our mission to defend civil liberties for all.

Onward,

Lauren Johnson
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Director of the Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative, ACLU