This month, the South Carolina Supreme Court blocked a six-week abortion ban because it violates the state constitution's guarantee to the right to privacy. The Center for Reproductive Rights' global advocacy team worked with partners to provide technical support to governments in UN negotiations to protect the rights of women and girls around the world. And the 2022 State Legislative Wrap Up—a new U.S. report published by the Center, which provides an overview of the year's state legislative efforts to restrict and enhance reproductive rights and access to reproductive care—was released.

United States

South Carolina Supreme Court Blocks Six-Week Abortion Ban

The South Carolina Supreme Court agreed with arguments brought by the Center and partners that a ban on abortion at six weeks violates the state constitution’s guarantee to the right to privacy. The ruling permanently blocks the law and allows doctors to continue providing abortion care to patients beyond the earliest stages of pregnancy. Without federal protections, U.S. state constitutions are critical to protecting abortion rights.

Center Releases 2022 State Legislative Wrap-up

In 2022, lawmakers in U.S. states hostile to reproductive rights intensified their efforts to attack legal protections for abortion, failed to pass laws to safeguard maternal health and declined to expand access to fertility care. In contrast, lawmakers in states supportive of reproductive rights took steps to protect abortion rights and improve access to maternal and fertility care. These findings come from the 2022 State Legislative Wrap-Up, a new report published by the Center. The report provides an overview of the state policy landscape after analyzing hundreds of bills proposed and enacted in U.S. state legislatures relating to reproductive care.

Global

UN Adopts Resolutions to Protect Gender and Reproductive Rights

The UN General Assembly adopted several resolutions last month related to gender and reproductive rights, providing an important contribution for the development of global policy. The Center’s global advocacy team provided strategic and technical support on the resolutions to cross-regional member States. The resolutions adopted address violence against women and girls; child, early, and forced marriages; trafficking in women and girls, and intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilation.

"The differences in lawmakers’ priorities and approaches during the year were incredible, with some states rushing to ban abortion and others strengthening efforts to defend abortion rights and access."

—Elisabeth Smith, Director State Policy and Advocacy