Inclusive Abortion Care Advocacy
People who have abortions are not a monolith. Public conceptions of who needs and who has abortions have historically left people out of the story of abortion care in America. Abortion care must be accessible to anyone who wants one, and it is vital that abortion care advocacy be expansive, inclusive, and intersectional.
Racial Justice and Abortion
Abortion bans disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, who are also often explicitly targeted by anti-abortion activists. At the same time, people of color are also often excluded from conversations about expanding abortion access, to the detriment of the movement.
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How the Overturning of Roe v. Wade Disproportionately Affects the Immigrant Asian American Population in the United States [Human Rights Brief, 2023]
From South America to the American South, Abortion Bans Devastate Latinas [Refinery29, 7/13/23]
State Abortion Bans Harm More Than 15 Million Women of Color [National Partnership, 6/23]
Abortion bans cause outsized harm for people of color [APA, 6/1/23]
The Intersection of Abortion Access and Black Maternal Health [The Century Foundation, 5/26/23]
Black Women Are Bearing the Burden of Abortion Bans [Health City, 1/24/23]
Inequity in US Abortion Rights and Access: The End of Roe Is Deepening Existing Divides [Guttmacher Institute, 1/17/23]
The role of community and culture in abortion perceptions, decisions, and experiences among Asian Americans [Frontiers in Public Health, 1/17/23]
Differential Rights: How Abortion Bans Impact Latinas in their Childbearing Years [UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Research Institute, 12/13/22]
Understanding the role of race in abortion stigma in the United States: a systematic scoping review [National Library of Medicine, 11/23/22]
State Abortion Bans Threaten 6.5 Million Latinas [National Partnership, 11/22]
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Abortion Access for Immigrants [National Immigration Law Center, 9/22/22]
State Abortion Bans Could Harm More than 1.3 Million Asian American and Pacific Islander Women [National Partnership, 8/30/22]
Dobbs Restricts Access to Abortion Services for Asylum Seekers, Represses Reproductive Rights [Human Rights First, 8/18/22]
What are the Implications of the Overturning of Roe v. Wade for Racial Disparities? [Kaiser Family Foundation, 6/15/22]
The Ethics of Access: Reframing the Need for Abortion Care as a Health Disparity [The American Journal of Bioethics, 5/27/22]
ICE Detainees Denied Access to Abortion [Immigration and Human Law Review, 3/25/22]
Racial/ethnic and educational inequities in restrictive abortion policy variation and adverse birth outcomes in the United States [BMC Health Services Research, 10/22/21]
Black Americans and Abortion [Gallup, 9/3/20]
Immigrant Women’s Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Coverage and Care in the United States [The Commonwealth Fund, 11/20/18 ]
Immigrant Rights and Reproductive Justice: How Harsh Immigration Policies Harm Immigrant Health [National Women’s Law Center, 4/17]
Women of Color and the Struggle for Reproductive Justice [If/When/How, 2016]
Reproductive Rights and Racial Justice [Legal Defense Fund, Date unknown]
Abortion Rights and Access: Fact Sheet [In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, Date unknown]
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Black Maternal Health Week 2024 Toolkit [Black Maternal Health Week, 2024]
Launch: toolkit to help stop bias and prejudice in safe abortion care [Rutgers, 5/2/22]
Reproductive Justice Briefing Book: A Primer on Reproductive Justice and Social Change [Berkley Law, Date Unknown]
Queer Justice and Abortion
People of all sexualities and gender identities regularly access abortion care. Research from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation shows that queer people are more likely to have had abortions than their straight, cisgender counterparts. Abortion access is not a concern exclusive to women, and advocates should avoid using euphemisms like “women’s health” when they are talking about abortion.
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As Many as 16% of People Having Abortions Do Not Identify as Heterosexual Women [Guttmacher Institute, 6/14/23]
Fact Sheet: Anti-LGBT+ Mobilization on the Rise in the United States [ACLED, 11/22]
The Implications of Dobbs on Reproductive Health Care Access for LGBTQ People Who Can Get Pregnant [UCLA School of Law, 10/22]
What the Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision Means for LGBTQ+ Rights [Legal Aid at Work, 8/9/22]
FAQ: Abortion Rights Today: What LGBTQ+ People Should Know [Lamda Legal, 6/22]
LGBTQ2S+ people more likely to access abortion services, new report finds [Xtra Magazine, 6/6/22]
Human Rights Campaign Fact Sheet: Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer Women Who Have Been Pregnant Are More Likely to Need Abortion Services; Demonstrates Impact Roe Reversal Would Have on LGBTQ+ People [Human Rights Campaign, 6/2/22]
Abortion experiences and preferences of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people in the United States [Ibis Reproductive Health, 9/20]
Why using inclusive language in abortion care is an essential aspect of equal rights [Beacon, 6/26/20]
If You Really Care About Reproductive Justice, You Should Care About Transgender Rights [National Women’s Law Center, 9/15]
Fact Sheet: LGBTQ+ People & Roe v. Wade [Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Date unknown]
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Media Guide: Abortion As An LGBTQ Issue [GLAAD, 7/6/22]
Building Affirming Relationships With Trans and Gender-Expansive Patients [Planned Parenthood, Date unknown]
Trans-Inclusive Abortion Services: A manual for providers on operationalizing trans-inclusive policies and practices in an abortion setting [Options for Sexual Health, Date unknown]
Disability Justice and Abortion
Barriers to abortion access often disproportionately impact disabled people, who already face a number of difficulties navigating the medical system. Additionally, abortion advocacy can further stigmatize disability by leaning on ableist tropes.
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Rebuilding a Reproductive Future Informed by Disability and Reproductive Justice [Women’s Health Issues, 6/2/23]
Dobbs and disability: Implications of abortion restrictions for people with chronic health conditions [National Library of Medicine, 2/23]
A Collaborative Agenda for the Disability and Reproductive Justice Communities in 2023 [Center for American Progress, 1/31/23]
Access, Autonomy, and Dignity: Abortion Care for People with Disabilities [National Partnership for Women and Families, 9/21]
Ensuring the Reproductive Rights of Women with Intellectual Disability [National Library of Medicine, 6/10/2020]
Disabled people are tired of being a talking point in the abortion debate [Vox, 5/29/19]
Disability Justice [We Testify, Date unknown]
Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities to be Free From Violence & Abuse and to Exercise Their Sexual & Reproductive Rights [Center for Reproductive Rights, Date unknown]
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Disability & Reproductive Health: It’s Time to Talk About It! [AMCHP, 3/22]
Disability inclusion in reproductive health programs: An orientation and values clarification toolkit [Ipas 50, 2021]
Disability Rights and Reproductive Justice [Reproaction, 5/21/18]
Shifting the Frame on Disability Rights for the U.S. Reproductive Rights Movement [Center for Reproductive Rights, 3/17]
Youth Justice and Abortion
Young people should not be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy, and yet they are often the target of anti-abortion legislation that create barriers to accessing abortion care. Most states required parent or guardian permission for patients under 18 to receive abortion care. In response to a barrage of attacks, advocates have formed organizations dedicated to ensuring that young people can access abortion.
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How abortion bans are impacting young people [ANSIRH, 7/14/23]
An Overview of Consent to Reproductive Health Services by Young People [Guttmacher Institute, 7/1/23]
Parental Involvement in Minors’ Abortions [Guttmacher Institute, 7/1/23]
Protecting Confidentiality for Individuals Insured as Dependents [Guttmacher Institute, 7/1/23]
Parental Consent and Notification Laws [Planned Parenthood, 11/3/22]
State-level Abortion Restrictions Will Negatively Impact Teens and Children [Child Trends, 10/19/22]
Judicial Bypass [Jane’s Due Process, 10/12/22]
Abortion Rights are Youth Rights [Youth Law, 6/24/22]
Confidentiality for Teens Considering Abortion: AAP Policy Explained [Healthy Children, 6/24/22]
Adolescents obtaining abortion without parental consent: their reasons and experiences of social support [Wiley, 3/20]
Denials of judicial bypass petitions for abortion in Texas before and after the 2016 bypass process change: 2001–2018 [AJPH Policy, 3/20]
Abortion and Parental Involvement Laws [Advocates for Youth, 9/5/19]
Fact Sheet: Improving Young People's Abortion Access at If/When/How [If/When/How, Date unknown]
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How to Explain Abortion Rights in Simple Terms for Children [Parents.com, 12/12/22]
How to Talk with the Young People in Your Life About Abortion [Planned Parenthood, 8/17/22]
Talking With Young People About Abortion [Power to Decide, 5/20/22]
Judicial Bypass Wiki [If/When/How]
Carceral Justice and Abortion
People who are incarcerated are often left behind in advocacy efforts, and abortion advocacy is no different. The overturning of Roe v. Wade will have particularly devastating effects on incarcerated patients, who cannot travel out of state or self-manage their abortion. Everyone deserves abortion regardless of their experiences with the carceral system.
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Impact of New Abortion Restrictions on People in Prison: Estimated Number of Incarcerated People without Abortion Access and Distance to Abortion Providers [Contraception Journal, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 9/4/23]
Pregnant Incarcerated People’s Experiences with Decision-Making and Care [Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People, 7/23]
Reproductive Healthcare Behind Bars Was Dismal Even Before Roe Ended [Marshall Project, 6/30/23]
Abortion Access for Incarcerated People in the U.S. [Center for Leadership Education in Maternal & Child Public Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 5/23]
Abortion Access for Incarcerated People [National Library of Medicine, 3/30/23]
Post-Roe and Women Under Carceral Surveillance [Health and Human Rights Journal, 12/13/22]
Incarcerated and Pregnant in Post-Roe America [Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine, 10/26/22]
What the end of Roe v. Wade will mean for people on probation and parole [Prison Policy Initiative, 6/30/22]
What Research Tells Us About Abortion Access for Incarcerated People [Urban Institute, 5/6/22]
Recent studies shed light on what reproductive “choice” looks like in prisons and jails [Prison Policy Initiative, 12/8/21]
Abortion Access for Incarcerated People: Incidence of Abortion and Policies at U.S. Prisons and Jails [National Library of Medicine, 9/1/21]
Reproductive Life Goals: A Systematic Review of Pregnancy Planning Intentions, Needs, and Interventions Among Women Involved in U.S. Criminal Justice Systems [National Library of Medicine, 3/4/21]
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Reproductive Justice and Incarcerated Women: Understanding the Nexus of Reproductive Health, Mass Incarceration, and Social Justice [Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People, 2/25/20]
Giving Birth Behind Bars: A Guide for Achieving Reproductive Justice for Incarcerated Women [SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, 7/16]