June Medical Services v. Russo and Abortion Access

Some positive news! Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision in June Medical Services v. Russo means Louisiana’s clinics will remain open, despite anti-abortion efforts to shut them down. The Court ruled that the state’s abortion restriction – which is almost identical to one it struck down a few years ago in the 2016 Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt Supreme Court decision – cannot stand. We know these laws that masquerade as “protecting our health” don't have any backing in safe abortion care. Full stop. And that even with this setback to their plans, anti-abortion groups will continue to stop at nothing to make it harder and harder for people to access abortion care. Even with yesterday’s decision, abortion remains out of reach for many – especially Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), people who face documentation barriers, transgender and gender nonconforming people, and other people who are routinely denied access to health care in Louisiana and in many other states across the country. And these barriers are compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in places that are already impacted by harsh abortion restrictions, delayed access to health care, and economic instability. Defending against anti-abortion restrictions is not enough when the reality is that abortion is accessible only to people who have resources. DC Abortion Fund is committed to ensuring abortion is available to all who need it, regardless of how much money they have or where they live.We regularly work with other abortion funds across the country, including Southern funds, to ensure callers can access the abortion care they need. Take action today by supporting abortion access in states like Louisiana, where so many barriers still remain, or here in the DC area, where many people travel for their abortion care because of the abortion restrictions in their home state. This movement needs all of us to keep showing up, day after day, week after week, and calling out all the ways abortion is inaccessible for the people calling abortion funds like DCAF.