2 Years After Roe, Abortion Access a Patchwork for Black Women

By Anissa Durham | Word In Black (WIB) – Two years ago, this week, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which protected the right to have an abortion. As a result, varying levels of state abortion restrictions and bans have swept the country. This has forced millions of women to travel across state lines or go online to obtain prescription drugs to access an abortion.& But what does the data show about the ripple effects of this decision?& Here’s what we know& Currently, 14 states have enacted near-total abortion bans. Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida have banned abortion past six weeks of pregnancy. & While all states allow for abortions in cases of medical emergencies, abortion& providers have said& the language is not clear or too vague and can change by state. Due to the harsh political rhetoric around medically necessary abortion care coming from the right, many physicians fear they will lose their medical licenses, and face lawsuits, or criminal felony charges.& Texas in particular& allows abortions& when, “in the exercise of reasonable medical judgment,” a pregnant person faces a “life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy that places the...