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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2026
Washington, DC – Today, we reflect on the devastating impact of the Dobbs decision, a Supreme Court ruling that stripped away a fundamental constitutional right and overturned decades of legal precedent for women.
Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), released the following statement in response:
Four years later, we can say with certainty that our fears were justified. Millions of women now live in states with complete abortion bans or severe restrictions. Care has been denied. Clinics have closed. Hospitals have turned people away. And the consequences have been devastating—not only for families, but for our economy and our broader health care system.
Last week, IWPR released the Costs of Reproductive Health Restrictions: 2026 Analysis, which revealed that the 16 states with the most restrictive abortion laws on the books cost the US economy $68 billion.
But the gravest cost is measured in lives lost. Lives that should still be with us today. These outcomes are not inevitable. They are the result of deliberate choices that continue to shape who has access to care and who does not.
The longer Dobbs remains the law of the land, the deeper these harms will grow—especially for Black women, who continue to face the highest maternal mortality rates in our country.
That’s why, for IWPR, preserving reproductive health and freedom is far more than a policy priority. It is the beating heart of our mission to secure equal status and economic justice for every woman in America.