On Friday, June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court finalized their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal constitutional right to an abortion. This is a significant moment in history.
HRiA fully supports reproductive choice, including abortion rights
Protecting the reproductive rights of women and birth-capable people is an urgent and critical public health issue. Restricting abortion rights and criminalizing those who seek or assist in obtaining abortions will cause irreparable harm to all birth-capable people, particularly BIPOC women and low-income women and families. The amicus brief for Jackson Women’s Health Organization by a collaborative of public health organizations discusses how the states with the most restrictive abortion policies also have some of the poorest maternal and child health outcomes, including higher rates of low infant birthweight, infant mortality, and adverse childhood experiences, among other indicators.
The American Public Health Associations states: they also may coerce women to carry unintended pregnancies to term, elevating their risk of poverty and violating their human rights and rights as citizens. A public health strategy to achieve health in all policies, economic equality, social justice, and human rights should protect and advance women’s access to abortions and reproductive justice.”
Evidence of these outcomes is well-documented in The Turnaway Study, conducted by the Advancing New Standards of Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), which demonstrates the serious consequences that women experience when denied abortion care:
- Denying a woman an abortion creates economic hardship and insecurity which lasts for years.
- Women turned away from getting an abortion are more likely to stay in contact with a violent partner. They are also more likely to raise the resulting child alone.
- The financial wellbeing and development of children is negatively impacted when their mothers are denied abortion.
This type of reversal is unprecedented in that it seeks to limit, rather than expand, rights at the federal level. It has the potential to set a dangerous precedent where further rights are limited, including access to contraception.
At HRiA, we work to advance public health and medical research through equity-centered approaches. Health equity cannot exist in the US without reproductive justice. We stand in solidarity with all birth-capable people, allies, organizers, and advocates in opposition to this attack on reproductive rights.
As an employer, HRiA is committed to supporting employees and their families in states where access to abortion may be restricted, including reimbursement of medical costs where state laws prohibit insurance coverage and expenses (hotel, airfare, or other modes of transportation) related travel to another state.
There is much to do. Learn more about actions to take and resources available below.
Taking action
- Sign an open letter, contact your representative, donate, and more at Planned Parenthood: Act for Abortion Access
- Check out the social media toolkit and opportunities to donate from Center for Reproductive Rights: Take Action: Abortion is Essential!
- Learn about organizations advocating for reproductive justice and read the evidence at Racial Equity Tools: Reproductive Justice
