It has been quite a week. I was in Washington, DC, when I heard the news that the U.S. Supreme Court signaled the intention to overturn Roe v. Wade.  

My plans changed. The leaked draft decision made clear the court is prepared to make a radical, rights-denying ruling. If it does, millions of people in the U.S. will be denied fundamental rights—to health care, to bodily autonomy, and to reproductive freedom. My colleagues and I headed to the growing rally at the Supreme Court as soon as we could.  

By criminalizing abortion, the United States, the U.S. will join a handful of autocratic, anti-democratic countries intent on restricting access to abortion.  

At Ipas, we know from our work around the world that abortion bans do not stop abortion. But they do create a climate of fear and confusion and drive abortion care underground. And they cause incredible hardship. People may have to travel great distances to access care where it’s legal, while others will face forced birth and parenthood. Both pregnant people and health providers face prosecution and could go to jail.  

The bottom line: Abortion bans deny people freedom and the ability to control their own future.  

We know what a post-Roe future looks like because Texans have already been living this reality for six months since their state essentially banned abortion. People there have been traveling hundreds of miles to neighboring states and even to Mexico for care. In fact, Ipas has begun working in the Rio Grande Valley alongside partners in Latin America to ensure people in Texas have safe routes to reliable pharmacies if they choose to travel to Mexico to legally obtain abortion pills.  

The impacts of an abortion ban always reach beyond borders—we’ve seen this anywhere people’s right to abortion is denied. That’s why abortion access is a global human rights issue, and why we must fight to ensure anyone who needs it can access abortion, no matter who they are or where they live. 

Please join us—persist, protest, speak out, and fight for reproductive justice. I was heartened to be one of thousands at the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday doing just that. Please make a donation today. Your support helps us bring our expertise from around the world to protect abortion access wherever it’s needed. 

In solidarity, 

Anu Kumar 
Ipas President and CEO