Who are we going to be when we're no longer defending Roe?

That's the question I kept asking as the Supreme Court barrelled toward their ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. I asked myself; I asked my colleagues at Planned Parenthood; I asked partners in this movement and allies and activists and everyone I fight alongside every day. Who are we going to be?

Today marks six months since the Supreme Court's ruling that eliminated our federal constitutional right to abortion, and we have been answering that question ever since. I want to share a little bit of that experience with you.

The impact on patients has been front and center in every discussion before and since that ruling. That's where most conversations begin and end at Planned Parenthood -- how health centers can deliver the best possible care, how we can make sure patients have all the information they need to make their own decisions about their health, and how we can make a meaningful difference for the people who are counting on us.

And right there, that's the first answer to who we are. We're the people who make the promise: care, no matter what. And we're the ones who move mountains to keep that promise.

We're the voice on the other end of the line saying, “We'll get you an appointment.” We're the navigators guiding patients through every step of what's become a difficult journey to get care. We're the storytellers, refusing to be silent. Planned Parenthood is the staff and providers opening doors every day, no matter what.

For the last six months, Planned Parenthood organizations have devoted resources to helping patients in states with abortion bans travel to get the care they need. Planned Parenthood health centers in states with laws that protect abortion have worked tirelessly to welcome pregnant people forced to flee their home states to receive care. Planned Parenthood affiliates have innovated with telemedicine, expanded appointment capacity and their operations to deliver information, care, and resources.

But we know that it's not enough to help patients overcome the barriers that lawmakers have thrown in their way. It's not enough to work within and around an unjust system that denies people the care, rights, and dignity they deserve. We have to build something better.

That work has continued, through legal challenges that have blocked abortion bans, and through the ongoing work of organizing and mobilizing this movement. Abortion access was put directly to the people this past year with ballot initiatives in Kansas, Kentucky, Vermont, California, Montana, and Michigan -- and reproductive rights won.

We still have more to do to restore, protect, and expand access to abortion, along with other sexual and reproductive health care. The truth is, Roe was never enough to protect the health and rights of all people. It's on us to build a just and equitable health care system that will not discriminate against Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other people of color. It's on us to protect and expand access to gender-affirming care for trans people.

It's on us to keep fighting -- because that's who we are and who we must be. We are fighters. And we are not alone.

From the moment the Supreme Court ruling came down, Planned Parenthood supporters from every corner of the country rose up like a swelling tide. There were protests and walk-outs and vigils. There were grandmothers and aunties who shared the wisdom of their own long fights for justice. There were young people who awoke to a future filled with fear and responded with outrage.


So who are we, all of us, now that we're no longer defending Roe?

This is who we are: we are a movement that is strong and growing stronger. We are a voice that is loud and growing louder. We are patients and providers, activists and allies, a diverse and fierce and relentless force determined to win the future we deserve.

As we look back on the last six months, I want to thank you on behalf of everyone in the Planned Parenthood family. I know how hard this time has been for so many people. I know that we face extraordinary challenges.

But I have not for a moment doubted the strength of this movement or the dedication of our supporters. I hope you know how much that matters -- to Planned Parenthood, to patients, and to all of us who are in this together.

Sincerely,
Alexis

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(C)2022 Planned Parenthood Federation of America
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