How Women’s Heath Care Remains Under Attack 43 Years After Roe v. Wade
Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which affirmed a woman’s right to an abortion. By recognizing this right, Roe v. Wade helped make abortions safer and more accessible for women across the country. Access to quality and affordable reproductive health care, including abortions, has been shown to be both lifesaving and key to women’s economic security.
While Roe v. Wade was a historic step in the right direction, many women still lack access to safe, legal, and affordable reproductive health care today. Anti-choice groups and legislators continue to lobby for abortion restrictions in states across the country, putting the right to choose as guaranteed by Roe v. Wade out of reach for many women. Here’s a closer look at the number of restrictions on a women’s right to choose over the last five years:
In perhaps the most visible display of this anti-abortion sentiment, pro-life activists from across the country are gathering today for the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., a daylong event of rallying and advocacy for the elimination of abortion rights. The slogan for this years’ rally – “Pro Life and Pro-Woman Go Hand-in-Hand” – is misleading, masking the devastating impacts of anti-abortion rhetoric and restrictions. Any efforts to restrict abortion access are by no means “pro-woman” – in fact, they only make life harder for women who already face barriers to quality health care access, such as low-income women, immigrants, youth, women of color, and LGBT people.
BOTTOM LINE: 43 years after Roe v. Wade, significant barriers still prevent many women from accessing safe and legal abortions. Despite what anti-abortion activists may claim, restricting abortion access is not at all “pro-woman”. Being truly “pro-woman” is about ensuring that women across the board have access to the quality reproductive health care they may need.