Dear John,
Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade. On what would have been a day of celebration marking 50 years of legal abortion throughout the U.S., we’re instead mourning the loss of our (apparently not-so) fundamental right to bodily autonomy.
But don’t let triumphant Republicans or smug Supreme Court justices fool you—the fight is far from over.
With the fate of abortion rights now resting in the states, pro-abortion rights lawmakers across the country are mobilizing. Last week, New York state legislators introduced a bill that would allow licensed clinicians in the state to provide abortion pills via telemedicine services to out-of-state patients—including those in states that ban or severely restrict medication abortion. The state’s Assembly is also currently considering a state Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) that would specifically affirm the right to access abortion and other forms of reproductive health care.
And as we first reported last week, the Biden Administration’s Justice Department and FDA have both issued crucial opinions, ruling that the postal service can deliver abortion pills to states where abortion is banned, and loosening requirements for brick-and-mortar pharmacies to dispense the medication, respectively.
All this goes to show that Roe may be gone—but the fight for full access to abortion and reproductive healthcare goes on. As our executive director of partnerships and strategy Jennifer Weiss-Wolf wrote this week, “The tenets of reproductive health, rights and justice—and those of a healthy democracy—are not only inextricably interconnected, but essential to our nation’s promise.” Women’s fundamental rights are deeply necessary for the health of our democracy—Roe’s overturn doesn’t change that.
Over here at Ms., we’re also celebrating our 50th this year. And it’s clear to us that as the fight for abortion rights and reproductive justice continues, our work is more necessary than ever. Join us as we continue to report, rebel and truth-tell into the next fifty!
Onward,
