[logo] National Network of Abortion Funds
  • About
    • About Us
    • Abortion Funds 101
    • Find your local abortion fund
    • Abortion Funds Demands
    • Get Involved Locally
  • Need an Abortion?
    • Find a fund & get help
    • Common Questions
    • How to Find a Clinic
    • Discounts at Clinics
    • Medicaid & Abortion
    • Safe Abortion Using Pills
  • News
    • News
    • Publications
    • 2022 State Legislative Updates
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Get Email Updates
    • Find your local abortion fund
    • Become an individual member
    • Job Openings
  • Shop
  • Donate
background of intersecting gold and brown lines
October 21 2021

Unprecedented Abortion Access Case Goes Before the Supreme Court

On December 1st, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case centered on a Mississippi law that bans abortion after fifteen weeks of pregnancy. Dobbs v. Jackson is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, which upholds the federal right to abortion in the US before viability. 

Why Dobbs v. Jackson Is Different

In earlier decisions such as Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court upheld a federal right to seek abortion before “fetal viability”: 24-28 weeks. The Mississippi law at the center of the Dobbs case bans abortion well before that threshold. Previability bans like this one exist in states around the country in various stages of litigation. Dobbs is the first to make it to the Supreme Court.

The Mississippi Law at the Heart of Dobbs Disproportionately Impacts Black People

The restrictions challenged in Dobbs inequitably affect Black Mississippians, who represent the highest proportion of people accessing abortion care in the state. We know from existing data that any rollback of federal protections for abortion access will have an unequal impact on Black people in Mississippi and those similarly situated in other abortion-hostile states. 

What to Expect from the Supreme Court

It’s hard to predict what decision the Supreme Court justices will make. There are several options, but with the current composition of the Court we’re bracing for the worst. The justices could eliminate federal protections entirely, leaving abortion access to state legislatures. They may strike down previability protections and create a new, more conservative federal framework. Whatever the court decides, access to abortion will likely become more challenging in many parts of the country.

What We’ll See If Abortion Access Is Restricted at the Federal Level

Only fourteen states and the District of Columbia have laws that explicitly protect access to abortion. Twenty-two states have laws or constitutional amendments already in place that could be used to restrict access if Roe is overturned. This means that without federal protection, roughly half of US states could lose legal access to abortion in the next year.

Many pregnant people already have to travel out of state to access abortion — this is a pattern that funds in our network have been reporting for years. The model for protecting abortion access in the future already exists in funds’ work to assist callers traveling for hours (sometimes days) to obtain an abortion. 

How We’re Planning to Meet This Challenge

This decision will come fast, and its impacts will be felt immediately. In the short term, abortion funds are focusing on building up their practical support systems. We’re helping funds coordinate these efforts securely and effectively.

In the long term, we’re focused on launching Operation Scale Up, our plan to give abortion funds the resources they need to fund every caller request, nationwide. When confronted with challenges like Dobbs, both sets of strategies are necessary: we must meet the current moment while staying focused on building the future we want to see. 

How You Can Help

The most important thing you can do is find and support your local abortion fund. You’ll find a complete list of NNAF-member abortion funds here. There are additional actions you can take to support abortion justice here. We’ll work to keep you informed about the Dobbs case and its impacts as we move closer to the decision date in the spring of 2022. 

Read more from the 2021 Fall Newsletter Here.

Abortion Access State by State: Two Funds’ Perspectives 2021 Fall Newsletter

Related Posts

light purple background with the word "newsletter" in large white bold text. Below it says "Fall 2021" in smaller gold text.

Fall 2021 Newsletter, Newsletter, Publications

2021 Fall Newsletter

Letter from Yamani Hernandez, Executive Director Dear friends,  Six years ago, I accepted an offer to join the National Network of Abortion Funds as their new executive director. When I joined the staff, there were twelve full-time employees. The organization had a budget of just over $2 million a year; we fiscally sponsored the All* […]

two hands cupped to form a heart over pink background

Fall 2021 Newsletter

Abortion Access State by State: Two Funds’ Perspectives

“More than 80% of our callers cross state lines.”  –– Missouri Abortion Fund Missouri is what’s known as a “trigger law” state: if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion will immediately become illegal. Currently, there is only one clinic in our state that provides abortion care. Missourians seeking an abortion are subject to mandatory “counseling” […]

light purple fern leaves over dark purple graph background

Fall 2021 Newsletter

The State of the Network: Our 2020 Membership Enrollment Survey Results

Each year, the National Network of Abortion Funds’ Membership Team sends out a detailed survey to all abortion funds in our network. We ask them about requests received, callers supported, and dollars distributed; we collect data from across the country on out-of-state travel and increases in funding requests. We try our best to collect responses […]

Helpful Information

  • Find your local abortion fund
  • Donate
  • Abortion Funds 101
  • Need an abortion?
  • Common Questions from Abortion Fund Callers
    • Will state or government insurance cover my abortion?
    • How do I find the clinic that’s right for me?
    • Can I get a discount at my clinic?
  • Safe abortion using pills

Recent Posts

  • "This fight isn't over. Not even close," in bold sans serif font on a background showing a dark night sky with golden light radiating from the bottom corner.NNAF statement on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
    June 24, 2022
  • "NNAF's new leader, Oriaku Njoku" in off-white sans serif font on a gold-to-purple gradient, with a photo of Oriaku smiling on the right hand sideOriaku Njoku to become NNAF’s next Executive Director
    June 13, 2022
  • Newsletter_Banner-Spring_2022-01Moving Money To Build Power
    May 27, 2022

Latest Tweets

  • RT @AmplifyGA: Did you RSVP yet? Join us on Feb 8 at 6-7:15pm for our RJ Community Call! What happens after the Reproductive Freedom Act h…
    11 hours ago
  • RT @Guttmacher: Banning #MedicationAbortion would be devastating for abortion access across the US. But our latest data show that 10 states…
    11 hours ago
  • RT @Emma_Ehrlich: Many counties, even in protective states, only have providers that offer #medicationabortion. Revoking @US_FDA approval o…
    11 hours ago
→ Follow @abortionfunds
National Network of Abortion Funds

Mission

The National Network of Abortion Funds builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.

Job Openings

Become a Member Fund

Privacy Policy

RECENT STATEMENTS

  • "This fight isn't over. Not even close," in bold sans serif font on a background showing a dark night sky with golden light radiating from the bottom corner.NNAF statement on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
    June 24, 2022
  • "NNAF's new leader, Oriaku Njoku" in off-white sans serif font on a gold-to-purple gradient, with a photo of Oriaku smiling on the right hand sideOriaku Njoku to become NNAF’s next Executive Director
    June 13, 2022
  • background of intersecting gold and brown linesProtect Abortion Access:
    Support Abortion Funds

    May 3, 2022

TWEETS

  • 🧵🧵🧵 #AbortionFacts twitter.com/DrDGrossman/st…
    14 hours ago
  • Hey @Google, it's time to stop advertising crisis pregnancy centers on your platform and making money off the the s… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
    14 hours ago
→ Follow @abortionfunds
© National Network of Abortion Funds 2023
Powered by WordPress • Themify WordPress Themes
12810