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How does Roe v Wade impact reproductive rights and abortion access in the US and globally, and what can we do to #ProtectChoice?
Donate to support abortion accessWhen abortion rights are under attack, we feel it around the world. But together we can #ProtectChoice.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade removed the right to abortion in America and is undermining reproductive rights across the world.
In 1973, abortion was made legal in the United States thanks to a landmark case known as Roe vs Wade. However, in 2022 the Supreme Court announced that it would overturn this decision, going against public opinion and violating the autonomy and human rights of millions across America.
As a global reproductive healthcare provider, MSI's teams witness and deal with the terrible consequences of unsafe abortion every day. Abortion bans don’t prevent abortions, they only make them less safe—and the poorest and most marginalised communities bear the brunt.
The impact of Roe vs Wade on women's rights has been felt worldwide.
When the right to choose is under attack in the US, the global anti-choice movement takes notice. They've been emboldened by the Supreme Court decision. But we refuse to go back. We will double-down on our efforts to defend reproductive rights and abortion access globally. Will you help us?
Knowledge is power and if we know our rights, it makes it much harder to take them away. Learn about global reproductive rights and sign up to our newsletter to remain in the know.
The more people sharing the potential global impact of this decision the better. Use our social toolkit to spread the word with your community via #StandForChoice.
A regular donation to an abortion fund or provider supports access to abortion care, including for people who need financial or logistical support.
Abortion is an extremely safe and common medical procedure. Globally, nearly 1 in 3 pregnancies end in abortion and in the US, 1 in 4 women will have an abortion in their lifetime.
Yet abortion care continues to be one of the most heavily restricted healthcare services worldwide. These restrictions force women around the world to travel long distances to access the healthcare they need, requiring sign offs from multiple doctors, prolonging wait times.
With difficult journeys, and additional hoops to jump through, those with the least resources to travel, pay for childcare, and take time off work, find it hardest to access abortion care. Safe services become the privilege of the rich and others are pushed to unsafe or legally restricted methods.
A post-Roe world is different to a pre-Roe world. Advances in early medical abortion care have shown that with quality medical abortion products, accurate guidance on how to self-administer the products, and access to in-facility care, if facing complications, women can safely self-manage their abortion.
Learn more: 5 Essentials to Safely Self-Manage a Medical Abortion.
However, when those seeking, providing, and supporting abortion care are at risk of criminalisation, accessing professional medical care in the case of complications or miscarriages will present additional challenges. Initial research warns that maternal mortality rates will rise and women of colour will be disproportionately affected.
When anti-choice politicians chip away at American women’s rights, the global anti-choice movement takes notice. Emboldened by their victories in the United States, and often supported by US-affiliated groups, they’re pushing for even more restrictions on abortion care around the world.
Open Democracy have estimated that US right-wing Christian organisations spend on average $280 million every year attacking abortion rights and LGBTQIA rights globally. As a global reproductive healthcare provider, we have seen the impact on our programmes, providers and clients.
Wherever we work, harassment and intimidation is common. In the UK, US-linked protestors harass women and providers entering our clinics. And online, we are increasingly seeing attacks on our Facebook and WhatsApp services that offer free advice and referrals for healthcare.
Across our programmes, we’ve seen US-linked groups lobbying for the removal of sexual and reproductive health and rights and frequently encounter 'advocacy playbooks' exported by US anti-choice groups.
With Roe vs Wade overturned, we're seeing a rise in anti-choice activities worldwide.
“It is frustrating for people like us working in reproductive choice in contexts like Ghana, because what happens in the US affects us. It gives power to the opposition and the tools to advance their efforts. It means those who have been on the fence in the past could be easily swayed to become part of the opposition.”
Support our abortion advocacy
As one of the world's leading providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare, we're working to ensure that no one is left behind and everyone has access to reproductive choice.
Delivering healthcare across 37 countries, MSI reaches those with the least access, such as adolescents and those without the resources to travel to medical facilities. In 2022, we delivered reproductive choice to over 80,000 people around the world every day and over half of those we supported (55%) had no alternative option for their service.
We know that the majority stand with us in supporting the right to choose. Across the majority of the countries we work in, we have seen progress in reproductive rights, leading to better healthcare and opportunities for women. In Ethiopia, for example, since abortion was legalised in 2005, maternal mortality due to unsafe abortion has dropped from 31% to 1%. Wherever we work one crucial fact remains: bans and restrictions do not prevent abortion; they just make them less safe.
When global abortion rights are at threat, please consider donating to our global abortion work.
