DMOs and Friends,
Today the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, effectively overturning their previous ruling in Roe v Wade. Twenty two states across the US have laws which immediately trigger to ban or severely limit the right to a safe and legal abortion. For states where Republicans have control, Americans will return to a pre-Roe era, where you can be forced to carry a pregnancy to term even if it will kill you, or jailed as police investigate your miscarriage.
Democrats will continue to fight for our fundamental rights. DMOs have an important role to play in protecting clinics in their cities with “bubble laws“, supplementing abortion funds for those seeking healthcare, and pressuring Congress to secure the right to an abortion at the federal level.
We will have more information for you in the coming days. For now, please find some immediate resources on what cities can do to protect reproductive rights, an action guide from Planned Parenthood, and DMO’s statement regarding the decision to overturn Roe.
Friends of Planned Parenthood Action Fund,
By the end of the month the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey through their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO). If and when the leaked draft becomes final, it will eliminate the constitutional right to abortion and permit states to ban abortion. This is a catalytic moment for abortion access and for the progressive movement as a whole.
We are beyond the tipping point for abortion access. What is clear from Justice Alito’s draft opinion is that nothing is safe — they are coming for everything. They want to turn back the clock not just 50 years, but hundreds of years. It is imperative that state and national groups come together in this fight.
Below is a list of immediate steps you can take to ensure when the decision is released to ensure voters have the facts about what has happened and how they can channel their rage into action.
Reach out if you have any questions as we collectively prepare for decision day and please be on the lookout for additional resources and guidance ahead of and after the decision is released.
IMMEDIATE CALLS TO ACTION
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ISSUE A PUBLIC STATEMENT – Affirm your committee/candidate’s unequivocal support for abortion access by putting out a public statement or holding speaking to the media directly, affirming your public policy position.
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AMPLIFY – Digital Resources and elevate support for abortion access on your social media
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PREPARE YOUR SUPPORTERS AND MEMBERS – At your town hall, staff meeting, campaign event, etc. use the opportunity to brief voters on the abortion access crisis. If you need messaging guidance or support in this, please reach out to nikki.goldschein@ppfa.org and gabby.richards@ppfa.org
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PREPARE TO MOBILIZE (on and before Decision Day) – In the lead up to the decision, Planned Parenthood organizations and partners at Women’s March, Ultraviolet, and MoveOn are building out a map of distributed rapid response events. This map, which can be found here, has pre-populated events and a placeholder date but true time and location so supporters can begin RSVPing for rapid response events before the date of the decision is known
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FACILITATE ACCESS TO PRACTICAL SUPPORT AND CARE – Help connect people to care and dispel misinformation
RECENT RESEARCH
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Navigator Research poll shows that more than half of Americans say the Supreme Court
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potentially overturning Roe v. Wade makes them more motivated to vote in 2022, including 71% of Democrats
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A recent KFF poll makes it clear there is broad opposition to the criminalization of health care:
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80% oppose fines or prison for women who get abortions
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80% oppose allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers
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Washington Post/ABC poll finds that 75% of people say decisions on abortion should be left to the woman and her doctor, including 95% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 53% of Republicans
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Gallup poll finds that 80% of the American public think abortion should be legal
TOPLINE MESSAGES
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Everyone should have the power to control their own bodies, lives, and futures.
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The impact of overturning Roe is dire. Overturning Roe means 26 states could swiftly move to ban abortion – including 13 states with laws that could immediately go into effect. That’s half the country where people no longer will have power over their own bodies and their own lives.
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That means 36 million women — nearly half of the women of reproductive age (18-49) in the United States — plus more people who can become pregnant, could soon lose abortion access.
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This is not the end goal for the anti-abortion movement. They said it themselves: Their ultimate goal is to pass a nationwide abortion ban that would block abortion access in every state in the country.
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States are not waiting for a final Supreme Court decision to ban abortion. Across the country, state politicians are gearing up for a future without the protections of Roe v. Wade, introducing more than 500 anti-abortion restrictions in 41 states in 2022 alone.
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The last few months in states like Texas, Florida and Oklahoma have provided a very clear picture of how abortion bans compound existing hurdles to accessing care. These barriers disproportionately harm Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with low incomes, and people living in rural areas.
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Barriers to accessing abortion and other health care services have always existed — like finding child care, taking time off of work, and navigating the costs of transportation and lodging associated with traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles.
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People who do not have access to the resources and support they need to travel out of state may be forced to carry pregnancies against their will or seek abortion outside of the health care system.
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The obstacles created by abortion bans are compounded for immigrants who often are ineligible for public health coverage and may be unable to travel for care due to immigration enforcement.
DMO Statement on the Leaked Decision to Overturn Roe
Make no mistake – the leaked Republican Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe and Casey is deeply immoral, and puts every woman in the United States in jeopardy.
An end to Roe returns us to a nation where the wealthy will continue to have access to safe abortions, but Americans without means will be left to fend for themselves. We will return to an America where entire wards of hospitals are dedicated to patients who have gone septic or poisoned themselves because they lacked access to a safe and legal abortion.
Most abortions are undertaken by people who already have children – parents who are making the responsible choice for themselves, their family, and their future. The majority of Americans support the right to a safe and legal abortion. Congress must act now to enshrine the right to choose into law, and protect Americans from this despicable attack on our most fundamental rights.
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