When the Supreme Court decides the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, everything is likely to change. A majority of Supreme Court justices have records hostile to our rights, and the leaked draft opinion in this pivotal abortion case shows that they plan to overturn Roe v. Wade.

It's important to be clear about the harm this ruling will have on so many lives. We need to be ready to support patients and do whatever it takes to connect them with the care they need.

Here are four things you need to know:

1. The impact will be immediate. Right now, 13 states have “trigger laws” on the books -- abortion bans that could take effect when, or soon after, the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

A constitutional right established by the court nearly 50 years ago will be taken away by that same court.

2. The impact will be widespread. Nearly half of the women of reproductive age in the United States, and more people who can become pregnant, live in the 26 states that will likely move to ban abortion. That’s more than 36 million people. And this could be just the beginning -- anti-abortion rights groups and their allies in Congress are preparing to push for a nationwide abortion ban if Roe is overturned.

3. The impact will be disproportionate. The impact of overturning Roe will be felt most acutely by Black, Latino, and Indigenous people, immigrants, people living with low incomes, and people in rural areas -- communities that historically already face barriers to abortion access due to systemic racism and discrimination.

Roe has never been enough to protect these communities or provide access. Barriers to accessing health care, including abortion, have always existed -- lack of insurance, the costs of child care, taking time off work, and transportation and lodging associated with traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles. If Roe is overturned, the barriers heighten and the number of people trying to overcome them will skyrocket.

4. The impact will be deadly. Pregnant people will be forced to carry pregnancies against their will -- at the risk of their health and lives.

Because of structural racism in the maternal health care system, Black pregnant people die from childbirth-related causes at three times the rate of the general population. In a country that already has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world, Black women will be hit the hardest.

We will continue to call on supporters like you to stand with Planned Parenthood, independent providers, local abortion funds -- and, most of all, the patients who will suffer the worst consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision.

Sign the pledge right now to let us know we can count on you in the fights ahead. Thank you for standing with us and being an essential part of this work.

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-- Planned Parenthood


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