We must decriminalize abortion: Support the Abortion Justice Act

It has been one year since a right-wing majority of the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and the results have been dire. We know that 21 states have banned or severely restricted abortion, but the human effects of these laws are truly alarming.

An Oklahoma woman with a nonviable pregnancy was told to sit in a parking lot until her situation got worse. After being denied a medically necessary abortion, a Tennessee woman required a lifesaving hysterectomy. And three women in Texas are being sued by their friend's abusive ex-husband for helping her obtain an abortion.

There are (and will be) more such horror stories. In the first six months alone after Dobbs, over 66,000 people were unable to receive a legal abortion in their home state. Another 35,000 traveled to another state to seek an abortion. For low-income people of color, where traveling to another state may not be feasible, the effects have been harsher.

"In a truly just America," says Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, "everyone is free to make decisions about their lives, their bodies, and their futures with dignity—including the decision to pursue abortion care without fear, shame, or systemic barriers."

Sign the petition to Congress: Decriminalize abortion. Pass the Abortion Justice Act.