You’ve probably seen the news: it looks like the U.S. Supreme Court is about to eviscerate the right to an abortion—a constitutional right that has been protected for half a century. But it’s important to know that you still have the right to an abortion, although many barriers limit access to this right.
Three things you should know.
First: Until the Supreme Court publishes its final decision, the U.S. Constitution still protects the right to an abortion. In other words, regardless of where you are in the country or your immigration status, you still have the constitutional right to an abortion. And even if the Supreme Court ends the federal constitutional right to an abortion, some states have protections and laws ensuring that pregnant people still have access to this right.
Second: We recognize that many people cannot access the right to an abortion because it requires economic resources that many people don’t have. If you want or need an abortion and are looking for financial, logistical, or emotional support, you can call the National Abortion Federation at 1-800-772-9100 (Monday – Friday, 8 am – 7 pm EST; Saturday and Sunday, 8 am – 4 pm EST). Additionally, the National Network of Abortion Funds has a list of funds in each state and links to their websites. You can click on “view fund” to see the website of the fund you want to contact. You can also find the nearest abortion services to you through Planned Parenthood.
Third: What’s going to happen next? Although the document we saw this week is a draft and not a final decision, many legal experts believe that the Supreme Court will eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion—established in 1973 in the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade—in a decision within a few weeks. This decision would be an attack on all women and every person who can become pregnant. It would also cast doubt on other critical rights—for example, marriage equality, the right to contraception, and the right to privacy in private sexual activities, among other rights.
Some states have state-law protections guaranteeing the right to an abortion. Under current law, if the Supreme Court eliminates the right to an abortion, these state-level protections would still exist for the time being.
But many states will use the final opinion to attack women’s and other people’s rights more broadly.
At CDM, we are committed to fighting alongside migrant workers against any law or rule that limits people’s access to healthcare, including abortion. We invite you to join us and show your support for abortion access by sharing this information with your networks on social media.