Dear John,
Half a century ago, when abortion was still illegal throughout most of the country, 53 well-known U.S. women courageously declared “We Have Had Abortions” in the pages of the preview issue of Ms. magazine. The petition invited Ms. readers to share their own stories—and they did.
A recent article in The Washington Post credited the petition with changing the course of the abortion rights movement, by launching a powerful strategy to end “the secrecy that had kept many women out of the fight.”
“It liberated and mobilized an army of women who had been keeping a secret,” said former Ms. editor Suzanne Braun Levine of the petition.
Fifty years later, as we reckon with the likely reversal of Roe v. Wade, we’ve decided that it’s time to relaunch our petition. More than 7,238 have already signed and more are joining each day. The new petition not only has the support and encouragement of some of the original signers—it now includes members of Congress who have spoken about their own abortions.
We know that women who have had abortions have spoken out many times during the last 50 years, and millions of women and men have marched in countless rallies and demonstrations for abortion rights. The result: by a margin of two-to-one, Americans oppose the repeal of Roe. The key question now is the extent to which the threat to abortion rights will be a mobilizing force in this year’s midterm elections.
As we did 50 years ago, Ms. is again setting the pace in reporting on the fight for abortion and reproductive health, rights and justice. This coming week we launch Beyond Roe: The Fight for Our Future, a collaboration with the Center for Reproductive Rights, the team who argued the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case before the Supreme Court.
We invite you to explore the array of essays, audio and video content, describing the policy and legal paths forward. And we are proud to share and amplify the words, reflections and vision of many movement colleagues and allies.
