Abortion Rights

Abortion rights are under attack. Political extremists and far-right activists are aiming to dismantle abortion rights across the country and deny equitable, safe access to abortion. People nationwide have felt the reverberating effects of political extremism through abortion bans and restrictive abortion laws. To ensure that every woman has the right to critical health care services, it is necessary to restore the fundamental right to abortion and advance new abortion laws that advance access to care.

The Center for American Progress aims to develop policy and solutions to ensure that abortion access is protected by state and federal law and to preserve the fundamental rights and well-being of all Americans. U.S. health care should include abortion care. The United States must proactively address the consequences of abortion bans and build up a care infrastructure that is supportive of abortion rights through policy changes at the state and federal levels. This includes: eliminating the Hyde amendment to ensure that abortion is affordable for all people; reversing the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Care Organization decision; codifying the right to abortion into law; ensuring a fair-minded and balanced judiciary; and safeguarding access to medication abortion. The country also needs to simultaneously improve access to comprehensive health care overall, including birth control, maternity care, and all preventive services.

Photo shows a crowd of people holding signs that read
Activists hold abortion rights signs at a rally in Washington, D.C., April 2023. (Getty/Probal Rashid/LightRocket)

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1 Year Without Roe
Personal Story Photo shows a closeup of a woman's hands, with one clasped around the other

1 Year Without Roe

Doctors, doulas, and nurse practitioners detail their experiences since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and their fears in the rapidly evolving legal landscape of abortion care.


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Why Congress Must Reauthorize a Lifesaving Program To Fight HIV/AIDS Article
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Why Congress Must Reauthorize a Lifesaving Program To Fight HIV/AIDS

Despite extremists’ assertions, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) does not facilitate abortion access but does improve pregnancy and other health outcomes for women and girls, as well as promote strong partnerships and democratic principles in key nations; it is also indispensable to the elimination of HIV/AIDS by 2030.

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How Ohio’s Special Election Results Will Both Protect Abortion and Affect Maternal Mortality in the State Article
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How Ohio’s Special Election Results Will Both Protect Abortion and Affect Maternal Mortality in the State

Ohio’s Issue 1 ballot initiative to codify the legal status of abortion in the state constitution affects both abortion access and maternal mortality rates.

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What To Know About Ohio’s Special Election and Abortion Access Article
An activist seen holding a placard that says protect safe, legal abortion.

What To Know About Ohio’s Special Election and Abortion Access

On August 8, Ohio’s special election to change the threshold for approving constitutional amendments will have implications for a November 2023 ballot initiative to protect access to abortion.

Becca Damante

1 Year Without Roe Personal Story
Photo shows a closeup of a woman's hands, with one clasped around the other

1 Year Without Roe

Doctors, doulas, and nurse practitioners detail their experiences since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and their fears in the rapidly evolving legal landscape of abortion care.

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