How the Supreme Court Could Take Away Your Reproductive Freedom

On March 4, the Supreme Court will begin hearing opening arguments in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, a case that has the potential to decimate access to abortion in Louisiana and give a signal to anti-choice politicians in other states to pass similar laws to roll back our reproductive freedom. This is the first major case about abortion to come before the Court since anti-choice senators confirmed Trump’s nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Now, with an anti-choice majority on the bench, no one knows exactly what the Court will decide. What we do know, though, is that our reproductive freedom is at stake like never before.

Since the Supreme Court affirmed in 1973 that reproductive freedom is a constitutional right, anti-choice politicians have been trying to insert themselves into personal, private decisions about pregnancy. They’ve done everything in their power to exert control over people — to reach their ultimate goal of criminalizing abortion and punishing women — and they won’t stop until they’ve achieved their endgame.

That’s why anti-choice politicians introduce arbitrary restrictions like the admitting privilege law at issue in June v. Russo that make it difficult and expensive — if not impossible — for abortion providers to comply with the new laws. If small, independent clinics can’t afford to make the medically-unnecessary adjustments required by these new laws, they’re forced to close their doors. And if Louisiana’s restriction is allowed to go into effect, it could close all but one clinic in Louisiana, pushing abortion care out of reach for many women in the state and signaling to other states that they have the green light to move ahead with similar restrictions.

Now that you know what’s at stake, here’s what else you should know about the case.

1. The Court struck down an identical law just four years ago. In 2016, the Court heard Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. An admitting privileges law was also at issue in that case, and the Court struck it down. Now, the Court is hearing June Medical, a case identical to the one they heard four years ago. By even taking this case, the Court is showing a willingness to ignore precedent in order to accomplish its anti-choice majority’s dangerous, ideological agenda.
2. This is the first major abortion rights case before the Court since it gained an anti-choice majority. The Court hasn’t heard a major case on abortion since anti-choice Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed. Now that the Court has a majority hostile to Roe, there’s a chance that they’ll take the first opportunity they get to attack reproductive freedom.
3. This case is part of a larger strategy to chip away at the right to abortion and punish women and doctors. This case could give the green light to anti-choice politicians in other states to pass similar laws to roll back our reproductive freedom. Since Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Court, extreme bans on abortion were introduced, passed, or signed in 31 states just last year — and there are at least two dozen cases in the pipeline that could completely overturn Roe v. Wade.

If knowing what’s at stake for reproductive freedom right now fires you up and makes you ready to fight back, here’s how you can help protect this fundamental right.

1. Join us at the Supreme Court on March 4. We’ll be rallying with other reproductive freedom activists and advocates at the Supreme Court to show every anti-choice extremist what’s going to happen if they take away our fundamental freedoms. We need to defend Roe v. Wade and let anti-choice politicians everywhere know that we won’t be silent in the face of these unprecedented attacks on our rights.
2. Arm yourself against disinformation. Spreading disinformation is one of the primary tactics that anti-choice politicians use to distract from their dangerous and unpopular agenda — and it spreads like wildfire through online echo chambers. Be prepared to fight back against false claims about abortion and educate yourself and others on the truth of the matter. There are countless medical studies and journals that dispute some of the most popular anti-choice myths, and NARAL Pro-Choice America’s Opposition Research Department has outlined some of the anti-choice movement’s favorite tactics. By knowing what false claims you’re likely to hear and how to dispute them, you’ll be able to help stop the spread of dangerous disinformation.
3. Support champions of reproductive freedom. With our rights at stake like never before, we’re putting everything on the line to elect champions for reproductive freedom up and down the ballot. We need to kick this anti-choice administration out of the White House and make Donald Trump a one-term president. We need to elect a pro-choice majority in the U.S. Senate. And we need to expand our majority in the House to proactively protect our reproductive freedom.