The Equality Fund’s statement on today’s Roe v. Wade decision.
Today six U.S. Supreme Court Justices overturned Roe v. Wade. In doing so, they overturned 50 years of precedent and simultaneously denied women the right to control their bodies and their futures.
We’ve known this day would come. But it does not make it feel less vicious, dangerous, and appalling. We are furious. And we are hurting.
This decision is not about protecting lives. Stripping away the right to bodily autonomy will have devastating consequences for millions of Americans—particularly Black women, women of colour, LGBTQI+ people, and others. History tells us that banning abortion never leads to fewer abortions, only to more unsafe abortions.
It also sends a deeply troubling signal to the world. This decision says unequivocally that women are not equal. It says that we are not capable of owning our own bodies and our futures. And it is an ominous sign of what’s to come. Now is not the time to overlook the legacy of white supremacy and misogyny that have delivered us to this moment. Nor the anti-rights movements that are well-resourced, transnational, and gaining momentum. Our renewed solidarity will be the powerful antidote that pushes back.
We know millions of others today feel exhausted, heartbroken, dejected. This is not the future you have worked tirelessly for. It is not the equal world that you want your children and grandchildren to inherit. But this will not—and can not—be the end of the story.
We will take time to give space to our pain. But then we will channel our frustration and rage into action. For those ready to activate now, here are five ways to add your voice and demand change now. Our solidarity is strongest when we move together.
- Give more, now and with trust, to local abortion funds, providers, and support networks
- Listen to movement leadership and those most impacted by unequal healthcare policies
- Plan for an equitable future, and acknowledge past and current injustice
- Collaborate across strategies and issues, we are stronger together
- Invest in existing movement infrastructure
Here is a growing list of the ways that our allies and partners are working to protect reproductive justice for all:
- Sign the Women’s Funding Network’s pledge: Join Bold Philanthropic Pledge to Protect Abortion Access and Reproductive Justice.
- Explore Urgent Action Fund’s five ways for funders to act today to protect a pro-choice future.
- Take action, reference Action Canada’s article How you can take action for abortion rights in Canada.
- Learn about Sister Song’s role in the reproductive justice movement.
- Read the reproductive reading list from the Black Women Radicals.
- Share the National Women’s Law Center’s Resource Hub.
- Consult the list of Abortion Care Network Abortion Providers in the US.
- Donate to the Network of Abortion Funds fund.
- Read the Institute for Women’s Policy Research report of The Costs of Reproductive Health Restrictions.
