Washington, D.C. — Increasingly over the past several years, states have signed hundreds of abortion bans and restrictions into law, undermining abortion rights and exacerbating inequities in access to abortion care. Yet a new administration and Congress, who were elected to office campaigning in support of abortion rights, have the opportunity to reverse this trend. Today, the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress released a new report exploring the myriad ways that federal and state governments can go on offense in the fight to protect and expand abortion rights and make access to care equitable for all, including by:
- Codifying into law the right to abortion
- Appointing lawyers with pro-abortion rights records to the judiciary
- Rescinding and prohibiting unnecessary abortion restrictions and government interference
- Making insurance coverage inclusive of abortion care and abortion affordable for all
- Rolling back restrictions on medication abortion and telehealth to ensure that patients can safely access care
- Preventing discrimination against abortion providers and improving training opportunities for providing culturally competent care
- Prioritizing patient and provider safety, including by implementing consumer protections
- Integrating abortion care into the full suite of reproductive health care services
“The constitutional right to abortion has been the law of the land for roughly half a century, but meaningful access to abortion care remains out of reach for millions of Americans—particularly Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; LGBTQ people; disabled people; and individuals in rural communities,” said Jamille Fields Allsbrook, director of women’s health and rights at CAP and co-author of the report. “With the strong support of the American people, as this report outlines, federal and state governments should make systemic changes to build on these baseline legal protections and guarantee that everyone has access to abortion care.”
Read the report: “A Proactive Abortion Agenda: Federal and State Policies To Protect and Expand Access” by Jamille Fields Allsbrook and Nora Ellmann
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected] or 202-741-6292.