Strategies to Protect, Defend, and Expand Access to Abortion Care
Advocates have been working to improve access to abortion care since Roe v. Wade was first passed in 1973, and have not stopped despite the hostile political landscape. The resources below can help you fight against eroding abortion access and improve care for patients.
Defensive Measures
Even before Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion activists and policymakers have been chipping away at abortion care access. Abortion care advocates are working hard to defend their communities against these attacks. The resources in this section provide examples of defensive measures you can take to defend and protect abortion care where you live.
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Activism for Abortion Rights and Access Is Global: What the United States Can Learn from the Rest of the World [Duke University Press, 8/1/23]
Protecting Access to Clinics [Guttmacher Institute, 7/1/23]
How Governors Used Executive Orders to Protect Abortion Access in a Post-Roe United States [Guttmacher Institute, 7/23]
Turning Rage Into Action: Abortion Care and Residency Training in the United States [PubMedCentral, 6/8/23]
Defending Abortion Rights for Our Patients and Fellow Physicians [Academic Medicine, 5/23]
“Unmet need for abortion”: Conceptualization, relevance, and utility as a tool for meeting abortion needs in the US [Contraception, 12/22]
Physician perspectives of abortion advocacy: findings from a mixed-methods study [BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, 4/8/22]
Local Responses to Statewide Abortion Bans [National Institute for Reproductive Health, 11/1/21]
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Meeting the Moment Post-Dobbs [National Institute for Reproductive Health, 11/20/22]
Confronting Pregnancy Criminalization: A Practical Guide for Healthcare Providers, Lawyers, Medical Examiners, Child Welfare Workers, and Policymakers [Pregnancy Justice, 6/23/22]
Policy Strategies for States in the “Middle” on Abortion [Liberate Abortion, Date unknown]
Policy Strategies for States Hostile to Abortion [Liberate Abortion, Date unknown]
Advancing Reproductive Rights, Health, and Justice with Local Resolutions [Coalition, Date Unknown]
Operation Save Abortion [Abortion Access Front, Date unknown]
Proactive Measures
There are several actions you can take in your state to expand and protect access abortion care. Even if your state is already protective of abortion care, it likely still has room to truly become an abortion care safe haven. The resources below can help you determine what measures your community needs.
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‘Shield’ laws make it easier to send abortion pills to banned states [Washington Post, 7/20/23]
A year since Dobbs, these are the many ways states are protecting abortion [NPR, 6/23/23]
Abortion Shield Laws [NEJM, 3/28/23]
Eight Ways State Policymakers Can Protect and Expand Abortion Rights and Access in 2023 [Guttmacher Institute, 1/12/23]
Expanding Access and Protections in States Where Abortion Is Legal [Center for American Progress, 7/25/22]
How U.S. States Can Protect Abortion Rights [Center for Reproductive Rights, 6/8/22]
State Actions to Protect and Expand Access to Abortion Services [KFF, 5/16/22]
A Proactive Abortion Agenda [Center for American Progress, 3/17/21]
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Action Plan for Abortion Justice [All Above All, 9/22]
Advancing Reproductive Rights, Health, and Justice with Local Resolutions [Coalition, Date Unknown]
Policy Strategies for States with Expanded Access to Abortion [Liberate Abortion, Date unknown]
Policy Strategies for States in the “Middle” on Abortion [Liberate Abortion, Date unknown]
Telehealth
Abortion care advocates and providers have utilized existing technology to help more patients access care via telemedicine. Telemedicine for abortion care is an important step to expanding abortion access, and should be protected. However, the practice should be closely examined as “integrating telehealth within an inequitable health system undermines its potential.” While telemedicine has improved patient access to abortion care, it only does so for those who can access telemedicine.
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Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review [NPJ Digital Medicine, 7/12/23]
Addressing Structural Inequities, a Necessary Step Toward Ensuring Equitable Access to Telehealth for Medication Abortion Care During and Post COVID-19 [Frontiers, 3/17/22]
Safety and effectiveness of self-managed medication abortion provided using online telemedicine in the United States: A population based study [The Lancet, 2/17/22]
Medication Abortion by Telehealth: Regulatory Assistance for Abortion Providers: Legal Issues for Providers [Regulatory Assistance for Abortion Providers, 5/21]
Improving Access to Abortion via Telehealth [Guttmacher Institute, 5/16/19]
Telehealth Equity & Medication Abortion Care [Expanding Medication Abortion Access, Date Unknown]
Improving Access to Medication Abortion Care via Telemedicine [EMAA Project, Date Unknown]
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Telehealth Care for Medication Abortion Protocol [Reproductive Health Access Project, 2/1/23]
Resource toolkit: Telemedicine for medication abortion and abortion-related services in the United States [Ibis Reproductive Health, 9/12/22]
Telehealth for Reproductive Health Care Resources [Reproductive Health Access Project, Date unknown]
State Telehealth Policies At-A-Glance [RHITES, Date Unknown]
Data Privacy and Security
As the right to a legal abortion disappears across the country, ensuring privacy and security for patients who are seeking or have sought abortion care is vital. Anti-abortion activists will go to great lengths to surveil, identify, and punish abortion patients and providers. As our medical decisions tend to leave an increasingly large digital footprint that can be exploited, activists are working to ensure abortion patients and providers are educated on digital security.
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HIPAA Privacy Rule Final Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy: Fact Sheet [HHS, 2024]
Federal, State and Local Efforts to Protect the Privacy of Abortion Health Records [The Network for Public Health Law, 5/3/23]
Digital Privacy for Reproductive Choice in the Post-Roe Era [University of Chicago Law School, 2022]
Dobbs and the future of health data privacy for patients and healthcare organizations [JAMA, 10/4/22]
Abortion, Data Privacy, and Law Enforcement Access: A Legal Overview [Congressional Research Service, 7/8/22]
HIPAA Protections for Abortion & Pregnancy-Related Care Know Your Rights [Pregnancy Justice, 7/5/22]
Lawmakers Scramble to Reform Digital Privacy After Roe Reversal [Time, 7/1/22]
HIPAA Privacy Rule and Disclosures of Information Relating to Reproductive Health Care [Department of Health and Human Services, 6/29/22]
Pregnancy Panopticon [Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, 5/24/22]
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Teach Abortion Training Curriculum: Personal Security [Pressbooks, 2022]
Security and Privacy Tips for People Seeking An Abortion [Electronic Frontier Foundation, 6/23/22]
Digital Security and Privacy Tips for Those Involved in Abortion Access [Electronic Frontier Foundation, 5/4/22]
Keep Your Abortion Private & Secure [Digital Defense Fund, Date unknown]