ACLU Supporter –

Yesterday, the Supreme Court reconvened for a new term – following a week marked by rallies, congressional hearings, and thousands of groups and activists like you uniting in D.C., Texas, and across the country to speak out in defense of abortion access.

That's why today, as the Justices begin weighing in on cases that impact so many civil liberties, we wanted to update you on the urgent landscape of abortion access right now.

Here's a quick overview of what to know, from SCOTUS to states like Texas to Congress:

• As a refresher on what's at stake, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case challenging a ban in Mississippi – brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights and the state's only remaining abortion clinic – on December 1 that presents a direct threat to Roe v. Wade.
  
  Meanwhile – next Tuesday – the ACLU will be arguing in front of SCOTUS in our case challenging a Kentucky law that would prevent many people in the state from getting the abortion care they need.
• While we prepare for everything to come in SCOTUS, our fight continues relentlessly across the country in courts and statehouses nationwide – including in Texas. As a reminder, Texas' six-week abortion ban has now been in effect for over a month. As a result, people are being forced to stay pregnant against their will and politicians in other states like Florida are already proposing copycat bills. Due to systemic inequities, anti-abortion laws like these harm people of color and low-income communities the most.
  
  In the ACLU's ongoing litigation to stop this ban, we and our coalition partners recently asked the Supreme Court – once again – to intervene in this case. We are waiting to hear from the Court whether it will take action on this gravely unjust law. Additionally, last Friday, a federal judge heard the Department of Justices' own arguments in its emergency request to block the Texas law as well.
• In a record-breaking year for anti-abortion legislation, Texas' ban is only one of nearly 100 abortion restrictions passed in state legislatures this year. That's why we're pushing Congress on the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA). This bill will provide a nationwide safeguard against abortion bans and medically unnecessary restrictions that push abortion out of reach. The House passed it just two weeks ago and it's now the Senate's turn to take up this critical legislation. (You can take action by sending a message to your senators now.)

ACLU Supporter, the nationwide attacks on abortion access right now have a clear end goal in mind: to ban our right to this essential healthcare and force people to carry pregnancies against their will.

But we won't allow that to happen. We'll be back with updates from our Supreme Court case next week – and with further news on reproductive freedom and all our rights very soon.

For now, thank you for reading through this update and for continuing to be a great source of strength to our teams. We could not do this imperative work without you.

In solidarity,

Jennifer Dalven
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Director of the Reproductive Freedom Project, ACLU