Dobbs was just the beginning. Supreme Court abortion pill case reminds us GOP isn't done.
Pregnant people have had their rights restricted at the state level since Dobbs, and the effects are being felt across the country.
I have spent much of the past few years covering abortion access and our reality after the Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. A lot of that time has been spent talking to people whose lives are dedicated to ensuring abortion access, whether they work for Planned Parenthood, an abortion fund or a different group.
I’ve heard one refrain over and over: A lot of what we are witnessing is what these doctors and activists have been anticipating for years, basically since the presidential election of Donald Trump in 2016 led to huge changes on the Supreme Court. It was never going to end after Dobbs. The movement to limit abortion access has evolved.
This week, the court heard arguments about a case involving mifepristone, one of two popular medications prescribed to induce abortion. It is the most consequential abortion case before the court since the 2022 Dobbs decision. While it is unlikely that the judges will restrict the distribution of the drug, it is significant that it’s even happening.
Pregnant people have had their rights restricted at the state level since Dobbs, and the effects are being felt across the country. We are in post-Roe America where the fight over abortion rights has continued in these three ways.
Self-managed medical abortions are increasingly common
Depictions of abortion in pop culture tend to focus on the clinical procedure. In reality, the majority of abortions now occur via medication.
Last year, 63% of abortions were induced via medication.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that self-managed medication abortions increased by more than 26,000 in the six months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, as opposed to an in-clinic procedure or a doctor prescribing the medicine.
The reality is that abortions continue, whether conservatives like it or not. It's not surprising that the push to restrict access to that medication has reached the Supreme Court.
In fact, the mifepristone case began five months after Roe was overturned. The anti-abortion group that brought this case seems intent on targeting that increased access.
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'Haven states' see increased abortion as people travel for care
Fourteen states have enacted total abortion bans since Roe was overturned in 2022. Seven have weeks-based bans prior to viability.
Despite this, abortion rates have increased by about 10% since 2020.
When the Dobbs decision came out, abortion activists told me that “haven states,” especially those in more conservative parts of the country, would see an increase in abortion demand, and that’s exactly what happened.
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Last year, 1 in 5 patients had to travel out of state for abortion care, compared 1 in 10 in 2020. This means an extra burden on the providers in states where abortion is still available, and an extra burden for patients who can no longer receive care in their home state.
This burdens patients, who now have to decide whether to travel out of state for an abortion or risk breaking the law in their home state. Not to mention the people who can't afford to travel for medical care.
Abortion remains the big issue of 2024 election
In preparation for the presidential election, the Biden administration has been talking about abortion more than ever.
Notably, Vice President Kamala Harris recently visited a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic that provides abortions and other health care services. It was a “first” for any sitting president or vice president, and shows that Democrats understand how important abortion access is to their success in November.
It’s an issue that motivates young voters in particular. Poll after poll shows young voters are protective of abortion rights. It was a motivating factor in the 2022 midterm elections, where an anticipated “red wave” didn’t materialize.
Trump, on the other hand, has doubled down on his calls for a nationwide abortion ban. Now that he is the presumptive Republican nominee, we need to be taking that objective as a real threat.
It is clear that Republicans want to go further than overturning Roe. Fighting to limit access to mifepristone and in vitro fertalization (IVF) is proof of that that advocates were correct in their concern.
It is troubling that we exist during a time where Roe v. Wade is no longer the law of the land. It is upsetting that we have fewer rights than the people who are only a generation or two older.
It also doesn’t have to be that way. The best thing that could happen at this point is the codification of what Roe put in place as federal law. In the meantime, there will continue to be real consequences for pregnant people across the country – and state elections will continue to matter.
Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno and Facebook facebook.com/PequenoWrites