Abortion bans do not stop abortions; they make accessing them more difficult
The networks you think we need almost certainly already exist. Join them.
It is twelve days since the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). Since then, states with ‘trigger laws’ have banned abortions. With more states expected to introduce abortion bans in the coming weeks, it is clear that the ramifications of overturning Roe are immediate and detrimental.
While lower courts in Louisiana, Utah, Texas, Florida, and Kentucky initially blocked their respective bans from taking effect, the news from Florida shows that these are, at best, temporary measures. Anti-abortion groups and lawmakers are already pushing to make travelling for abortions illegal, which is extreme to the nth degree regardless of whether a talking point is all it remains.
While discussing the far-reaching consequences of overturning Roe on all healthcare, not only prenatal and maternity care, the media spotlight turned to Ireland and the impact our constitutional abortion ban had for over 30 years before it was repealed by referendum in May 2018.
It is not hard to understand why. Ireland has many stories to tell about the consequences of abortion bans. Miss X, Miss C, D v Ireland, Amy Dunne (Miss D), A, B and C v Ireland, Michelle Harte, Savita Halappanavar, Ms Y, P.P. v Health Service Executive, Amanda Mellet, Siobhán Whelan; are all names, initials, and devastating experiences we know about because Ireland’s Eighth Amendment failed them.
Abortion bans do not stop all abortions; they make accessing them more difficult. For hundreds of thousands of pregnant people, that meant leaving Ireland to have an abortion abroad (usually in England) at the rate of up to 12 people a day. Additionally, up to 3 people a day were accessing safe but illegal abortion pills to end their pregnancies.
In the post-Roe landscape, people will travel for abortions either to states where abortion remains legal or Canada and Mexico. For many, out-of-state travel was the norm even before the SCOTUS ruling. People will also self-manage their abortions using abortion pills, so understanding the difference between telemedicine medication abortions and self-managed abortions is crucial.
A telemedicine abortion is when your doctor (or another relevant medical professional) prescribes mifepristone and misoprostol — commonly called the abortion pill — following a consultation by phone or video call.
A self-managed abortion does not involve medical professionals. Self-managed abortions using mifepristone and misoprostol are safe but can be legally risky depending on where you live. With legislation across the US rapidly changing post-Roe, resources such as the If/When/How Repro Legal Helpline provide vital information for people self-managing or considering self-managing their abortion. If/When/How’s Repro Legal Defense Fund covers bail and funds defences for people who are investigated, arrested or prosecuted for self-managed abortion.
Now is the time to take your lead from local organisers, activists, feminist groups, repro groups, and abortion providers who have been doing this work for years and are adapting their strategies or how they provide abortion services. The networks you think we need almost certainly already exist. Join them rather than divide resources on starting from scratch.
Abortion bans do not stop abortions; they make accessing them more difficult. We must ensure that people have the information and resources to access abortion care, especially when it is unlawful.
But What Can I Do?
Donate to abortion clinics in the US. Abortion Care Network is the national association for independent community-based abortion care providers.
Donate to abortion funds.
In the US, the National Network of Abortion Funds lists funds in every state — donating here means your donation supports 90+ organisations.
In Europe, donate to Abortion Support Network and Abortion Without Borders.
Share information on how to access abortions.
In the US, ineeda.com provides up-to-date information on how to get an abortion.
In Ireland, if you or anyone you know needs an abortion, the HSE’s MyOptions service will help you find your nearest provider. Phone 1800 828 010.
The Abortion Rights Campaign has written a blog post about how the legislation works and on what grounds abortion is permissible after the 12-week on-request period has passed — Need an abortion?
In Northern Ireland, Alliance for Choice Belfast and Alliance for Choice Derry have shared information on accessing abortion services in the North.
Alliance for Choice Belfast — I Need An Abortion Now.
Alliance for Choice Derry — Abortion Help
Know about abortion pills.
In the US, Aid Access helps people access abortion pills.
Plan C provides up-to-date information on accessing at-home abortion pill options online.
SASS (Self-Managed Abortion; Safe and Supported) supports people in the United States who choose to have an abortion with pills outside of the healthcare system
Elsewhere, Women on Web and Women Help Women provide information and access to abortion pills.
HowToUseAbortionPills.org offers free online training courses on self-managed abortion.
Share details of If/When/How’s Repro Legal Helpline and Repro Legal Defense Fund.
Everyone Loves a News Round-Up
In May, I spoke to Louise O’Neill about the barriers to accessing abortions in Ireland for her column Reversing Roe v Wade will only hurt women (The Sunday Times Ireland)
Last week, I spoke to Connie Dimsdale about rogue crisis pregnancy agencies masquerading as impartial sources of medical information for her article Accessing official Northern Ireland abortion advice ‘virtually impossible’ years after decriminalisation (iNews)
“It’s not enough to win progress once: it must be consistently defended against those who want to turn back the clock.” The anti-abortion lobby is on the rise in the UK. We can't get complacent (GQ Magazine)
“In all, in the 10 years to April 2022, police in England and Wales have recorded 67 cases of procuring an illegal abortion. Police Scotland said it had no recent cases.” Women accused of illegal abortions in England and Wales after miscarriages and stillbirths (The Observer)
“Where abortion is a crime, state officials will be responsible for enforcing the law, and that duty will fall primarily to the police – the very police who now support and foster anti-abortion harassment of patients.” ‘Police may be at your hospital bed’: an abortion rights activist on post-Roe criminalization (The Guardian)
“Us Irish people can be infuriated at the situation in America, but we need to support those attempting change on our own island as well as across the Atlantic.” Roe V Wade: How can we productively channel our anger for the US into change for the North? (Hot Press)
“The fewer stories that get told, the more representational weight each one carries. Each individual narrative is asked to stand in for so much, rather than exist simply as one grain of sand on a beach’s worth of reproductive experience. In the lived world, abortion isn’t some heavily weighted reality siloed off from the rest of life, health care, and humanity. Abortion is life, health care, and humanity.” The Abortion Stories We Didn’t Tell (New York Magazine/The Cut)
“Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure.” Instagram and Facebook remove posts offering abortion pills (AP)
“As people who have abortions, we are a brilliant, intuitive, and innovative community. We instinctively know what we need and how to show up for each other. We need that tenacity and courage now.” A Love Note to People in This Moment Who Are Having and Had Abortions (Rewire News Group)
“Those who argue that this decision won’t actually change things much—an instinct you’ll find on both sides of the political divide—are blind to the ways in which state-level anti-abortion crusades have already turned pregnancy into punishment, and the ways in which the situation is poised to become much worse.” We’re Not Going Back to the Time Before Roe. We’re Going Somewhere Worse (The New Yorker)
“The majority opinion is such an exercise of bad-faith jurisprudence—and the political campaign to bring the case to the Court and presto change-o it to a direct challenge to Roe such a farce—that there’s nothing more for me to engage with on the merits.” Where Were You the Day ‘Roe’ Died? (Rewire News Group)
“The fall of Roe has been on the horizon for years, if not decades, and yet newsrooms have not prioritized putting writers on the beat. If we can’t have consistent coverage from dedicated reporters, we must strive that much harder to do right by our audiences.” Newsrooms Need a Primer on Abortion Reporting (Dame Magazine)