Supreme Court Reverses Roe v. Wade — Support the ACLU to Defend Our Fundamental Rights 

Note from the CREDO team: This June, the ACLU is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Read this important blog post from Justin Rodriguez, Manager, Corporate Engagement at ACLU below, then click here to visit CREDODonations.com to cast your vote to help determine how we distribute our monthly grant to this organization and our other amazing grantees this June.

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a shameful ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the nearly 50-year-old landmark decision recognizing the federal constitutional right to abortion. The ruling in the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will allow anti-abortion politicians in states across the country to ban abortion and force millions of people to remain pregnant and have children against their will.  

This decision revokes the federal constitutional right to abortion and our agency over our lives and futures. This is an outrageous attack on women’s rights and the bodily autonomy of everyone who can become pregnant, and the effects will be immediate and far-reaching.   

Regardless of this horrendous decision, abortion is still our right. We all deserve the power to control our bodies, lives, and futures. Abortion is also health care. Access should not depend on where we live, how much money we make, or who we are.   

What comes next for abortion rights?  

• Abortion may be banned in nearly half of the country, affecting more than 36 million people.   
• This will have an immediate and devastating impact on both public health and personal freedom. Banning abortion does not eliminate the need for this kind of care – rather, it will force people to seek abortion outside of the health care system. No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will and face the life-altering consequences of being denied essential health care.   
• This unprecedented attack on essential care on abortion access disproportionately harms the same people who have faced systemic barriers to care – communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, undocumented immigrants, young people, those living in rural communities, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes.   

What Is the ACLU Doing to Respond?  

The ACLU has an office in every state. Our lawyers, lobbyists, and, organizers have been preparing for this moment. In the short-term, we will mitigate the damage and protect abortion access wherever we can, and generate an outcry in opposition to the ruling.  

• In Michigan and Vermont, efforts are underway to enshrine the right to reproductive freedom in their state constitutions.  
• In Kansas and Kentucky, we are fighting ballot initiatives that propose state constitutional amendments to remove abortion rights. We cannot let those measures succeed.   

The ACLU’s Post-Dobbs Rapid Response includes:   

1. Litigation: We will file post-ruling litigation in 8–12 states in an attempt to preserve as much abortion access as possible for as long as possible.  

1. Education/communication: To educate the public and media about what the Supreme Court ruling actually means—both legally and in terms of human impact.   

1. Mobilization: We will mobilize the ACLU’s (and the ACLU affiliates’) millions of members, activists, and supporters to loudly demonstrate their opposition to the ruling—on Decision Day and beyond.   

1. Advising clinics: We will continue to advise clinics, abortion providers, and other organizations that provide support to people seeking abortion care in both hostile and haven states, helping them design ways to support patients seeking abortions while minimizing the legal risks to them and their patients.   

1. Federal administrative advocacy: We will urge the Biden administration to use its bully pulpit to react strongly against the Supreme Court ruling and to quickly prioritize the administration’s federal response to the ensuing abortion crisis.   

1. State legislation: We are working with our ACLU state affiliates to discuss strategies, to map out plans of action, and to provide resources (such as messaging guidance, sample legislative testimony, talking points, etc.) and will continue to do so after the ruling comes down.   

Channeling people’s anger into taking action means that we will collect thousands of new activists’ contact information nationwide. We are building political power for the long-term. This is the only way to put the power back in the hands of the people.  

Here are some immediate action items you can do:  

• Support abortion funds and advocacy organizations. Abortion funds remove the financial and logistical barriers to abortion access. Please donate here to the National Network of Abortion Funds, which will split your contribution among more than 80 local abortion funds across the country.  
• Take our pledge today and join the ACLU’s People Power network as a defender of abortion rights for ways to get involved through rallies, activist trainings, and more.  
• Take your voice to the streets, and  
• Send a message to politicians at the ballot box: Abortion is a right, and you can’t ignore us. 

For more information, read Jessica Arons, Senior Policy Counsel, ACLU blog here. Protests and actions are taking place across the country, and you can locate events in your state here.  

The majority of Americans overwhelmingly support the right to control one’s own body and future. The ACLU is in the courts, legislatures, and the streets, and we need all of you to join us.