In the first half of 2019, the Guttmacher Institute reported that state legislatures across the South, Midwest and the Plains enacted 58 abortion restrictions, 26 of which would ban some, most or all abortions--even before most people know they’re pregnant.
On the brighter side, 93 new laws that expand reproductive healthcare were enacted, including 29 that expanded access to abortion, including NY, Vermont, Maine and Nevada.
In the midst of this maelstrom, in June, 2019 I attended a panel put on The Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health--about the threats against Roe v. Wade and what it means for patients.
I found the speakers and the content really helpful in wrapping my arms around the state of affairs and wanted to share it with you---so the Bixby Center gave me permission to do just that.
The speakers you will hear include Stephanie Toti (who successfully argued Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt in front of the Supreme Court) and now runs the Lawyering Project whose mission is to strengthen protections for reproductive rights under U.S. law and promote reproductive justice), Erin Grant (of the Abortion Care Network, an organization that supports independent abortion providers) and Renee Bracey Sherman (of the National Network of Abortion Funds which works to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access).
This panel discussion, “meeting the needs of patients post-Roe v. Wade” was moderated by Dan Grossman a professor at UC San Francisco and the director of their research program Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, which you will hear referred to as ANSIRH.
The Bixby Center is part of University of California San Francisco, and they research, train and advocate to advance reproductive health policy and practice worldwide through an evidence-based approach. For those of us who use birth control, let’s give them a shout out. Their researchers have played a part in testing every contraceptive method currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Meeting the Needs of Patients Post-Roe v. Wade was produced and sponsored by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, Center of Excellence in Women's Health and Institute for Health Policy Studies.
Here are some resources to help you stay engaged:
Twitter list of speakers and organizations involved in or mentioned during the event
Brief on self-managed abortion that was handed out during the event
Brief on ANSIRH’s Turnaway Study, a groundbreaking exploration of what happens when women want an abortion but can’t get one
Innovating Education in Reproductive Health’s online abortion course
Organizational websites:
o ACCESS Women’s Health Justice
o Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health
o Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health
o Innovating Education in Reproductive Health
o Institute for Health Policy Studies
o National Network of Abortion Funds
o UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
o UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health
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