FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Statement from C. Nicole Mason, President and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research on the 50^th anniversary of the landmark decision:

Washington, D.C. —

This weekend, we mark what would have been the 50^th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, but instead it is the first year without the protections of this ruling. Since the June 2022 decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case removed the basic protections guaranteed by Roe, we’ve seen a cascade of state laws banning, restricting, and otherwise erecting barriers to abortion care. Data from the Abortion Care Network shows that there are now 14 states without a clinic providing abortion care – leaving millions of women without access.

IWPR’s research shows the devastating and far-reaching effects of abortion restrictions, and also underscores what we know: Roe was never enough. The findings published in the Reproductive Rights Index, produced as part of IWPR’ Status of Women in the States Initiative, provide a data-driven snapshot of the consequences of restrictive abortion policies – consequences that are felt by individual women, families, and entire communities. Even before the most recent onslaught of restrictions following the Dobbs decision, abortion bans cost state economies billions of dollars.

As we mark this year’s Roe v. Wade anniversary, IWPR is committed to working toward policies that guarantee access to abortion care for all – access that is not dependent on where you live, how much money you make, or how you get your health insurance. We’re working toward a future that builds on the legacy of Roe but goes beyond it to protect reproductive freedom for all women.