FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 11, 2022

Contact: William Lutz | lutz@iwpr.org | (202) 684-7534

“Timely and swift action to protect women’s access to critical reproductive health care services, including abortion care, in the states is an urgent priority. Executive Order is Step in Right Direction.”

Washington, DC — Today, President Biden signed an Executive Order to help protect women’s access to reproductive health services. IWPR President and CEO, Dr. C. Nicole Mason, issued the following statement:

“Timely and swift action to protect women’s access to critical reproductive health care services, including abortion care, in the states is an urgent priority. President Biden’s Executive Order is a step in the right direction. However, there is much more work to be done,” said Mason.

“The Dobbs decision created a patchwork system of rights and uneven access to vital health care services for women that is unsustainable, and causes undue to harm to women and their families,” said Mason.

“The lack of access to reproductive health care services in some states, including abortion care, has already had a devastating effect on women’s short-and-long-term earnings and income, job security and career advancement. The overturning of Roe v. Wade will only make things worse. In this current political landscape, it is a travesty that the economic security of women and their families is largely dictated by where they live and their access—or lack of access—to comprehensive reproductive health services,” said Mason.

IWPR recent research shows the cost to state economies of restrictions on abortion  and other reproductive health services. At the national level, state-level abortion restrictions cost local economies $105 billion USD per year by reducing labor force participation and earnings levels and increasing turnover and time off from work among women ages 15 to 44 years. A state-by-state breakdown of this data is available here.

IWPR also conducts extensive research on the The Institute for Women’s Policy Research strives to win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. As a leading national think tank, IWPR builds evidence to shape policies that grow women’s power and influence, close inequality gaps, and improve the economic well-being of families. Learn more at IWPR.org and follow us on Twitter.