Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 50-year-old precedent of Roe v. Wade that guaranteed the right to abortion based on the 14th Amendment’s Constitutional right to privacy. On June 24, 2022, people in waiting rooms in certain states were told they couldn’t go through with their appointment for abortion — regardless of the time spent in travel, money spent following strict screenings prior to terminating a pregnancy, or risk to lives of parents and their children. Some would have to drive hours out-of-state to possibly get an appointment. Some will be forced to carry their pregnancy to term, adding financial stress to already vulnerable families and children.
Abortions are essential healthcare. Multiple studies indicate that the inability to receive abortion care places pregnant individuals further into poverty and harms their health as well as the well-being of their current and future children. Many people lack the means and access to decide whether