We’ve seen it coming for months (years, even), but it was still a gut punch to see the Supreme Court vote 6-3 today to overturn Roe vs. Wade, ending protections for legal abortion in the United States and taking our country back decades.
Here in Massachusetts, abortion is still legal, thanks to strong laws we have on the books (a thank-you especially to everyone who fought for the ROE Act two years ago).
But barriers to care—including exorbitant costs, complicated insurance coverage, and under-resourced providers—still exist, especially for low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities.
And Massachusetts can do more for those who might need to leave other states to obtain abortion access. The Senate budget included strong language to protect reproductive health care providers who serve out-of-state residents, and it’s vital that that stay in.
Our allies at the Mass Beyond Roe Coalition (spearheaded by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Reproductive Equity Now) laid out a comprehensive agenda for reproductive justice. You can read about it — and get ready to advocate for it — here: https://massbeyondroe.com/.
As abortion access has always been most difficult for those with the least resources, please consider donating to one of the Commonwealth’s abortion funds:
Eastern Mass Abortion Fund: https://emafund.org/
Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts: https://arfwm.org/
The Jane Fund: https://www.janefund.org/
