The recent news of the leaked draft of Justice Alito’s Majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization – which would overrule Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe v. Wade – and surrounding conversations underlines what we at MTSE already knew: the work of consent-oriented, comprehensive sex and sexuality education is vital. Many of the arguments in favor of this decision as well as those which inform wildly restrictive laws against Emergency Contraceptives (like Plan B), Intrauterine Devices, and hormonal contraceptives in general which have begun circulating in certain state governments, rely on widespread misinformation about not only abortion but human reproduction in general.
As an educational non-profit organization, it is not MTSE’s role to lobby the government. However, as an organization committed to the values of consent and justice, as well as an organization located in one of the states which has signaled its dedication to retaining and even expanding abortion rights, education is absolutely our role.
Here are some facts:
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Abortion is still legal in the United States.
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Though the draft is unlikely to see many changes before the official opinion is handed down in June, even then abortion will remain legal in much of the United States.
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13 states have severely restrictive abortion laws which will come in to effect upon the end of Roe v. Wade.
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Access to abortion has been limited in these 13 states and around the country for decades as state governments have imposed all manner of targeted restrictions on abortion clinics and refused to allow state funded insurance to cover abortion care, medical schools have failed to teach even the basics of abortion care, and anti-abortion activists have harassed and even killed abortion providers and clinic staff.
This situation can look and feel pretty bleak. If you are feeling defeated, overwhelmed, or scared, that is fair and we hope you have the space and care you need for those feelings. We also know that while this decision and its effects can feel shocking, there is hope and, importantly, there are people who have been planning for this eventuality. There are people working in abortion clinics, abortion funds, and reproductive justice organizations in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and all around the United States who are ready for this fight, already providing care to pregnant people who are now facing even greater anxiety, and who need our support to do their work as well as possible.
It is vital that we as individuals and as organizations take our lead from folks who have been on the ground in this fight for years. When you are looking to donate or offer other support, focus on smaller, local organizations which are providing abortion care first. Independent clinics and local abortion funds are best positioned to provide direct care and effective advocacy in their own states.
We encourage you to brush up on your knowledge of human reproduction, contraceptives, and abortion, and to talk with your families and communities about both the facts and your own values around consent, bodily autonomy, and justice.
