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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Supreme Court Dismisses Idaho v. United States Without Making a Decision on Emergency Abortion Care
The U.S. Supreme Court is pictured on June 26, 2024, a day before issuing its ruling in Idaho v. United States.

Supreme Court Dismisses Idaho v. United States Without Making a Decision on Emergency Abortion Care

While the merits of Idaho v. United States will be decided by the lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court admitted to procedural miscalculations that directly compromised the safety of pregnant patients in Idaho—underscoring how pregnant patients and medical providers will continue to be caught in the chaos and confusion sowed by the politicization of medication.

Sabrina Talukder

Abortion Access Mapped by Congressional District: 6-Week Abortion Ban Update Article

Abortion Access Mapped by Congressional District: 6-Week Abortion Ban Update

Florida’s extreme abortion ban for women who reach six weeks of pregnancy has essentially cut off abortion access for women in the South; new analysis by the Center for American Progress maps the latest driving times to an abortion clinic and the changes since the Dobbs decision by congressional district that, as a consequence of reduced abortion access, increase average district driving times by 300 percent nationally.

Sara Estep

Project 2025’s Distortion of a Reconstruction-Era Law Could Enact a National Abortion Ban Article
Photo shows an empty room with cabinets and an exam chair in the center

Project 2025’s Distortion of a Reconstruction-Era Law Could Enact a National Abortion Ban

This column is the first out of two pieces highlighting how far-right extremists plan to misapply the Comstock Act to eliminate access to medication abortion through the mail by overriding the independence of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sabrina Talukder

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Is Spearheading a Judicial Power Grab Report
A demonstrator holds a sign in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Is Spearheading a Judicial Power Grab

The rogue 5th Circuit Court has helped undermine the separation of powers, established precedent, and principled legal reasoning to accomplish right-wing policy goals; the Supreme Court continuing to follow suit would strip power away from elected representatives and American voters.

Jeevna Sheth, Devon Ombres

Abortion Access Mapped by Congressional District Article

Abortion Access Mapped by Congressional District

Who is the typical woman of reproductive age in each congressional district? What is her income? What is her demographic profile? Does she live in poverty? How far must she travel to get an abortion? A new Center for American Progress analysis answers these questions and more for the districts of the 118th Congress (January 2023–January 2025).

Sara Estep

CAP Changemakers: The Intersectionality of Black Maternal Health Care and Abortion Access Video

CAP Changemakers: The Intersectionality of Black Maternal Health Care and Abortion Access

This conversation with Sabrina Talukder and Dr. Jamila K. Taylor highlights the vital intersection of Black maternal health care and abortion access, advocating for equitable policies and dignified care for marginalized communities.

3 Questions To Ask During Oral Arguments in Idaho v. United States Article

3 Questions To Ask During Oral Arguments in Idaho v. United States

Idaho v. United States, a case that will determine the future of emergency abortion care in every state, highlights how a politicized judiciary is fueling the politicization of medicine.

Sabrina Talukder

5 Connections Between Attacks on Abortion Care and Transgender Medical Care in Idaho Court Cases Article
Photo shows a group of people demonstrating in front of the Supreme Court building. One sign reads

5 Connections Between Attacks on Abortion Care and Transgender Medical Care in Idaho Court Cases

Two court cases originating in Idaho—Idaho v. United States and Poe v. Labrador—reveal five connections between attacks on abortion care and transgender medical care and highlight how the politicization of the judiciary is fueling the politicization of medicine.

Sabrina Talukder, Cait Smith

Emergency Abortion Care Under Threat in Idaho v. United States: The Medical Providers Perspective Past Event

Emergency Abortion Care Under Threat in Idaho v. United States: The Medical Providers Perspective

Join the Center for American Progress and physician storytellers from Idaho and other rural states to discuss how the criminalization of abortion care, the future of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), and the interference of the U.S. Supreme Court in their daily medical practice has changed their personal and professional lives.

2 Things You Need To Know About the Alabama IVF Ruling Video

2 Things You Need To Know About the Alabama IVF Ruling

The Alabama in vitro fertilization (IVF) ruling did not happen in a vacuum; the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade set the foundation for attacks on all forms of reproductive care, including IVF.

Sabrina Talukder, Hai-Lam Phan, Olivia Mowry

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Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

Strengthening Health

Strengthening Health

We work to strengthen public health systems and improve health care coverage, access, and affordability.

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