Ahead of the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Reproductive Equity Now Doubles Down On Equity Agenda in State Legislatures

BOSTON (January 20, 2023) – Ahead of Sunday’s 50th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, a case that granted millions of people the legal right to abortion from 1973 to 2022, Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement:

“Roe was always the floor—not the ceiling—in the fight for reproductive freedom for every person,” said Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder. “While the decision ensured the legal right to abortion for millions, it never guaranteed access to essential health care for our most marginalized communities, who are now disproportionately harmed by abortion bans.

“Fifty years after the landmark case was decided, and nearly seven months after it was overturned by a far-right Supreme Court, we must redouble our efforts to ensure every person has access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care—especially Black, Brown, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and young people. That means ensuring access to not only abortion, but also prenatal and postpartum care, childbirth, miscarriage management, and midwifery and doula services, without financial burdens or delay. Our reproductive equity agenda must address the Black maternal health crisis and ensure every person has the support they need to feel empowered throughout their pregnancy. We also must work to guarantee every person the tools and support to raise children in a healthy and safe environment when they choose to become a parent.

“The overturn of Roe showed us that the fight for abortion access is every bit as much in state legislatures, city councils, and school committees as it is in the Supreme Court or the halls of Congress. In the absence of federal abortion protections, our focus must be on the states as we work to defend and expand access to care, oust anti-abortion legislators, and overturn dangerous abortion bans. We cannot wait another 50 years to build our state and local organizing power to take back our rights.”

Reproductive Equity Now, along with partners at the ACLU of Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Massachusetts, responded to the fall of Roe v. Wade last summer by releasing the Beyond Roe Agenda, a set of policy recommendations for legislative action, budget investments, and regulatory solutions to pave the path forward for abortion access in Massachusetts. In July, the Massachusetts Legislature passed an historic reproductive health care law that included over a dozen recommendations from the Beyond Roe Agenda.