Access to abortion is a human right, and international human rights committees have consistently found that criminalizing abortion violates the rights of women, girls, and people who can become pregnant in a number of ways.
Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, abortion rights are no longer federally protected in the U.S. We must fight for our rights now more than ever!
Here are 5 things you can do right now to fight for abortion rights:
Not in the US? Click here for global actions.
Find more actions in our TAKE ACTION center below.
Find Abortion Advocacy Groups in Your State
Click here to visit our interactive map with abortion advocacy groups in all 50 states. Connect with them and fight for abortion rights!
Community Care
Click here to connect with organizations that support abortion patients with things like transportation, lodging, and childcare.
You can also support abortion seekers in your community by becoming a clinic escort. To become a clinic escort, you can reach out to your local abortion provider to see if they take volunteers, or you can sign-up online if they have a volunteer webpage. You can also Google “[your city] + clinic escort volunteers” to find opportunities.
Laws in some states restrict abortion coverage in all private insurance plans, or by restricting health insurance plans for public employees.
At the national level, the federal Hyde Amendment has blocked Medicaid funding for abortion services for decades, placing an unnecessary financial burden on pregnant people who are seeking an abortion.
If you need help with any organizing or activism, email [email protected]
These are just a few ideas- be creative and do what makes sense for your community! Amnesty has also created a comprehensive advocacy tactic guide that lists other ways you can spread your message.
Organize or attend a rally, demonstration, or silent protest. This guide lays out logistics, publicizing your protest, and some options for different protest formats. Additionally, this document describes how you can stay safe during protests!
Stripping protections for the right to abortion is out of step with the rest of the world as sexual and reproductive rights advance.
Q: Wait, why does Amnesty say “women, girls, and people who can become pregnant”?
A: Transgender and non-binary people get pregnant and have abortions, too, and can sometimes have the hardest time accessing non-discriminatory and gender-appropriate care, including abortion care. Using gender-exclusive language further marginalizes transgender and non-binary people, which can lead to further rights abuses against such groups.
Learn more about how abortion is a human right! A variety of human rights are violated when abortion bans are implemented, such as the rights to:
Criminalization of abortion limits people’s right to decide whether and when to reproduce, a right which human rights authorities recognize as integral to physical and mental integrity and to their dignity and worth as human beings. Visit Amnesty’s Access to Abortion is a Human Right page to learn more!
There are two types of abortions available for pregnant people: medication abortion, and in-clinic abortion.
States across the country use different tactics to pass abortion restrictions. Make no mistake: all abortion restrictions are put in place with the ultimate goal of banning abortion entirely. Some of the most common abortion restrictions are listed below:
States like Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky completely ban abortion with extremely limited exceptions (usually only to save the life of the pregnant person).
Dictate the point during pregnancy when an abortion is permissible. These limits can be arbitrary, and vary greatly by state or country.
Support the notion that a fetus has legal rights that are independent of the pregnant person carrying the fetus.
Laws in some states restrict abortion coverage in all private insurance plans, or by restricting health insurance plans for public employees.
At the national level, the federal Hyde Amendment has blocked Medicaid funding for abortion services for decades, placing an unnecessary financial burden on pregnant people who are seeking an abortion.
We are not just fighting bad legislation; we’re fighting for good legislation! Positive legislation that protects the right to abortion care can promote human rights in your state and serve as a model for other state legislatures when it comes to protecting the liberty and autonomy of people who can become pregnant. Examples of positive legislation include: