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

The FDA’s Decisions on Mifepristone Have Advanced the Safety of Medication Abortion Article
A “combipack” of mifepristone and misoprostol pills is seen at a pharmacy.

The FDA’s Decisions on Mifepristone Have Advanced the Safety of Medication Abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. Food and Drug Administration, an unprecedented case on medication abortion that threatens to roll back years of scientific progress by undermining FDA decisions that have repeatedly affirmed and enhanced the safety of mifepristone.

Kierra B. Jones

Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy Report

Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy

This collection of policy recommendations reveals how policymakers can grow the economy by centering the changes that women need in their economic platforms.

Rose Khattar, Sara Estep

How the Alabama IVF Ruling Is Connected to Upcoming Supreme Court Cases on Abortion Article
An in vitro fertilization (IVF) patient at the University of Alabama at Birmingham holds up a photo of her daughter.

How the Alabama IVF Ruling Is Connected to Upcoming Supreme Court Cases on Abortion

The conservative judges in the Alabama in vitro fertilization (IVF) ruling, Idaho v. United States, and Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all issued decisions that seemingly supported their personal and political ideology over the rule of law, further fueling the politicization of medicine.

Sabrina Talukder

In Idaho v. United States, the Supreme Court Must Reckon With the Post-Dobbs Reality It Created Article
A sign hangs near the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.

In Idaho v. United States, the Supreme Court Must Reckon With the Post-Dobbs Reality It Created

In April 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court will review Idaho v. United States, which will determine if medical providers can continue providing abortions to pregnant women experiencing dire medical conditions under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

Sabrina Talukder

Why Congress Must Reauthorize a Lifesaving Program To Fight HIV/AIDS Article
U.S. Capitol building

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.

Sarnata Reynolds

How Ohio’s Special Election Results Will Both Protect Abortion and Affect Maternal Mortality in the State Article
Photo shows several people at polling stations filling out their ballots in a well-lit room

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.

Sabrina Talukder, Tracy Weitz, Sara Estep, 3 More Kierra B. Jones, Amina Khalique, Isabela Salas-Betsch

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference Past Event
CAP IDEAS Conference logo

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference

Join the Center for American Progress as we celebrate 20 years of innovative policy solutions and look boldly forward to a progressive future.

How Supreme Court Cases on Gun Violence and Abortion Will Affect Women Article
Supreme Court

How Supreme Court Cases on Gun Violence and Abortion Will Affect Women

In the 2023 term, the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to hear two cases, one on gun violence and one on abortion access, that will directly and disproportionately affect women.

Sabrina Talukder

What to Know as Abortion Access Heads Back to the Supreme Court Article
Packages of mifepristone are displayed at a family planning clinic.

What to Know as Abortion Access Heads Back to the Supreme Court

Access to mifepristone remains unchanged for now as the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to ultimately determine approval of the medication and the independence of drug approvals in the United States.

Maggie Jo Buchanan, Sabrina Talukder, Becca Damante, 1 More Kierra B. Jones

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.

D.C. Abortion Doula Fills Gaps in Support Systems Post-Roe Personal Story
Photo shows a hand holding a pink sign that reads

D.C. Abortion Doula Fills Gaps in Support Systems Post-Roe

An abortion doula in Washington, D.C., describes how restrictions on abortion and medication abortions hurt the marginalized communities they serve.

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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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