The Potential Consequences of Overturning Roe V. Wade

It’s May 2022, almost 50 years after the landmark Roe v Wade decision went into effect. This landmark decision was made to protect a person’s right to an abortion without government restriction or interference.

And now that right to choose is under threat. This summer, the United States Supreme Court is set to make a new decision on whether to overturn Roe v Wade. If the decision is overturned, millions of women, trans men, and non-binary persons in more than half of the US states will lose the right to an abortion or have that access majorly rolled back. The change will have ripple effects for reproductive rights across the globe. 

Here at Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism we protect, strengthen, and sustain women and transgender human rights defenders at critical moments. We intervene quickly when activists are poised to make great gains or face serious threats to their lives and work. And right now, we’re paying attention.

If Roe v Wade is overturned, 26 states have laws indicating that they intend to ban abortion and 13 more states have trigger bans, meaning that abortion will immediately be illegal if Roe is no longer in effect. 

Beyond the threat to abortion rights, the overturning of Roe v Wade has serious implications and potential consequences for other feminist causes, including birth control, gay marriage, transgender rights, and the safety and security of LGBTQ and feminist activists. These are rights that we aim to protect through our rapid response grantmaking at Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, in the US and worldwide. This pending decision has the potential to make our work more urgent and necessary than ever before.

Today, Roe v Wade has yet to be overturned, meaning that there is still time to act.

At Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, we fund and support many reproductive justice organizations, the organizations that help abortion seekers in times of need, raise awareness around legal policies, and mobilize women, trans men, and non-binary persons to protect their reproductive rights. We will continue to support these abortion funds and reproductive justice organizations today – and when and if Roe is overturned. We ask for you to join us, as the time is now to help these organizations build out their infrastructure and prepare for the worst.

Looking to help? Here’s where to make a donation:

• Donate and volunteer with local abortion funds who will continue to provide practical and logistical support to folks seeking abortion care: https://abortionfunds.org/funds/.
• Donate to independent abortion providers who are continuing to provide abortion services in the most restrictive states and regions throughout the country: https://keepourclinics.org/.
• The consequences of this SCOTUS decision will have the most devastating impact on Black women, indigenous women, transgender men, and gender-expansive folks based in the US South and Midwest. Here’s where to give to support those in these regions:

1. Access Reproductive Care Southeast: https://arc-southeast.org/
2. Yellowhammer Fund: https://www.yellowhammerfund.org/ (previous grantee partner) 
3. Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund: https://www.msreprofreedomfund.org/ (previous grantee partner) 
4. Texas Equal Access Fund: https://teafund.org/ (previous grantee partner) 
5. West Fund: https://www.westfund.org/
6. Indigenous Women Rising: https://www.iwrising.org/
7. New Orleans Abortion Fund: http://neworleansabortionfund.org/donate (previous grantee partner) 
8. Midwest Access Coalition: https://midwestaccesscoalition.org/pages/donate