What we feared has come to pass. The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, officially denying millions of U.S. residents their fundamental rights to health care, to bodily autonomy and to freedom. In 26 U.S. states, “trigger” laws will now be in effect that severely restrict or outright criminalize abortion.

Like you, I am deeply saddened and outraged by this news.

We at Ipas know from our work around the world that making abortion a crime does not stop it from happening. But it does make it much harder for people to get abortions when they need them—especially for Black and brown people, as well as those struggling to make ends meet.

The consequences of this inhumane decision will be dire: Pregnant people and health providers will go to jail, people will be forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, and everyone will have less freedom. Read more about the devastating impacts we know are coming in our official statement on this ruling.

We at Ipas also know that the harmful impacts of this decision will not be limited to the U.S. My colleagues from across Africa, Asia and Latin America have shared their insights on how this radical decision will have damaging impacts globally. And this excellent piece in Politico cites several Ipas staff and partners who point out that, tragically, the U.S. will now serve as inspiration for anti-rights movements around the world.

For those of us committed to reproductive justice, this moment is a call to action.

I can tell you with certainty that movements to make abortion legal and accessible are happening around the world—and they do succeed. For example, thanks to the Green Wave feminist movement in Latin America, countries like Argentina, Colombia and Mexico have all recently liberalized their abortion laws. We have much to learn from them.

As a global reproductive justice organization, Ipas stands ready to support the newly transformed U.S. movement for abortion rights and access. Please join us: Persist, protest, make your voice heard and support groups working for abortion access for all. Make a donation to Ipas today and you’ll help us bring our expertise from around the world to protect abortion access in the U.S.—and wherever else it’s needed.

In solidarity, 

Anu Kumar 
Ipas President and CEO