Everyone deserves the freedom to decide their own future. We’re glad the Supreme Court agrees.
Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed reproductive rights in June Medical v. Russo, siding with the 61% of Americans who support the right to safe, legal abortion. The Center for Reproductive Rights brought the case to challenge a restrictive, medically unnecessary Louisiana law, which required that all abortions be provided by a doctor with ‘admitting privileges’ to a nearby hospital. The law would have ended abortion in the state of Louisiana; only one abortion provider met those qualifications, and, out of fear for himself and his family, he planned to cease practicing if the law would have gone into effect.
Read here: MSI supports abortion rights in front of the Supreme Court
The law would have particularly impacted low-income and rural women. ANSIRH found that if the Louisiana abortion facilities closed, the percent of people who would have to travel 300 miles there and back for an abortion would increase from 1% to 71%.
Our service providers across 37 countries have seen firsthand the financial and emotional tool on people’s lives when women are forced to travel long distances for an abortion. In Mexico, where abortion is only legal in Mexico City and Oaxaca, many of our clients are forced to travel long distances to get a safe abortion. When women can’t afford to travel to Mexico City, many resort to unsafe abortion, putting their lives and health at risk.
One client from Mexico described the impact of restrictive laws in some states:
“[Having an abortion] made me think a lot about other women who are in different parts of our country who don’t have access to something like that and force them to have children or die trying, and I start thinking about all those girls who need help and I think it would be important for abortion to be legal for everyone and not just in certain areas of the country.”
Fortunately, for the people of Louisiana, the Center for Reproductive Rights’ win means pregnant people won’t have to travel out of state to access abortion, although we still have a long way to go before every woman enjoys the same reproductive rights and abortion is financially accessible to all.
The Supreme Court’s decision in June Medical v. Russo is a big win in the fight for reproductive freedom in the United States — it’s a decision that gives us space to breathe a sigh of relief, and while we celebrate this win, the fight isn’t over. We are thankful to the Center for Reproductive Rights and the many MSI US supporters who raised their voices in support of reproductive rights. Tomorrow morning, with new energy, we must continue the fight for each person’s right to reproductive choice.
