Center for Reproductive Rights

Reproductive rights 🤝 bodily autonomy 🤝 disability rights

⚠️ Today, in a disappointing setback, members of the Polish parliament rejected a landmark bill that could have decriminalized abortion care during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and later under certain conditions. “Polish lawmakers missed a critical opportunity to alleviate the immense suffering endured by thousands of women and girls in #Poland”, said Leah Hoctor, the Center for Reproductive Rights VP for Europe said. The bill was the first of four under consideration. Two of the other bills propose legalizing abortion on request. If the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament, passes any of these bills, they will move to the Senate for adoption and then to the President for approval. Some background: Poland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe and is one of only two EU countries where abortion on request is not legal. As a result, several women have died and many others have endured extreme harm and suffering after being denied critical abortion care. In Poland providing or assisting with abortion care is currently punishable by up to 3 years of imprisonment. This criminalization deters medical professionals from providing necessary care and subjects anyone who assists to invasive criminal investigations. These laws are DRASTICALLY out of step with European standards, international human rights law, and World Health Organization guidelines, and the time for change is NOW. Despite this setback, we will not back down and we will never stop fighting for our fundamental human right to essential health care. Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/emmSg-ik

Just a few months after the tragic murder of her beloved teenage son, still reeling with grief, our client Nicole Blackmon received the news that she was pregnant. She and her husband saw the pregnancy as a blessing, another chance at parenthood after the devastating loss of their first son. That hope turned to despair, however, when she learned that the fetus's organs were developing outside its body and it had no chance of survival. Nicole, who was also dangerously ill, needed abortion care, but it was banned in the state of Tennessee. Unable to get the care she desperately needed, Nicole was forced to go through a traumatic stillbirth to deliver. Nicole later decided to have her tubes removed because she was so scared by the prospect of ever enduring such a traumatic pregnancy again. As PBS reports, Nicole’s story not only underscores the desperate need for unrestricted abortion access, it also points to another painful reality: abortion bans disproportionately affect Black women, who are significantly more likely to face barriers in accessing reproductive health services. Tennessee also has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country and Black women are two and a half times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. This is UNACCEPTABLE. Period. And we will not stop fighting for Nicole—and for everyone who’s been cruelly harmed by these extreme bans—until our fundamental rights are fully restored and fully protected. View PBS’s full report: https://to.pbs.org/4cDbMJE

OUTRAGEOUS: Evidence shows that anti-abortion extremists in Nebraska LIED TO VOTERS in order to deceptively collect signatures in support of an anti-choice ballot measure. It's been proven over and over that the majority of Americans support access to legal abortion. Anti-abortion extremists KNOW that their backwards and harmful position is unpopular and that any fair, democratic process will not yield a win for them, so they are resorting to dirty, dishonest tricks like these. But our movement is stronger than theirs. Our movement is bigger than theirs. And we are NOT backing down from this fight.

🇵🇱 Poland has one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, with severe penalties for those providing or assisting with abortion care—but this could soon change as the Polish parliament is set to vote on a bill that would decriminalize abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and later in certain situations.

🥳 VICTORY IN KANSAS!!! We're so proud to have represented the abortion providers challenging the two laws that were just overturned and SO HAPPY for Kansans and other folks across the US, who will have access to essential abortion care in Kansas. “This is an immense victory for the health, safety, and dignity of people in Kansas and the entire Midwestern region, where millions have been cut off from abortion access,” said Nancy Northup, Center president and CEO.

🚨 We’re #HIRING! The Center is looking for someone to help shape our organization’s messaging and create proactive press strategies to influence public discourse and policy makers, effecting real change. Our 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 will: ➡️ Create and execute impactful public relations strategies for the Center’s 30+ ongoing lawsuits and U.S. policy initiatives. ➡️ Cultivate, maintain and expand relationships with key journalists, editors, bookers and others who regularly cover reproductive rights issues in national, regional and local outlets. ➡️ Write press releases, statements, briefing memos, talking points, and op-eds related to the Center's U.S. work. ➡️ Prepare Center spokespeople for press interviews and public appearances, including drafting talking points and providing formal media training and informal prep sessions prior to each interview or event. 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: https://bit.ly/4cUIhTC

📣 Our World Abortion Laws Map is now available EN ESPAÑOL! This interactive tool is our definitive record of the legal status of abortion globally and is updated in real-time to show how countries are protecting—or violating—individuals’ abortion rights. It details: 🌍 Which countries have liberalized their abortion laws. 🌎 Which countries have rolled back the legality of abortion. 🌏 How restrictive abortion laws cause enormous harm. Check it out in English or Spanish here: https://lnkd.in/eF8ViFgi

Sex is part of life. Unintended pregnancies are a part of life. We deserve the right to access the reproductive health care we need to make the decisions about parenthood that are right for our bodies, our lives, and our futures. Period.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: There is nothing “pro-life” about abortion bans. As The Intercept reports, a recent study out of Tulane University found that in states with multiple abortion restrictions, the rate of intimate partner homicides against women and girls ages 10 to 44 rose by a chilling 3.4% for each restriction enforced. Another study they cited found that suicide rates have increased among reproductive-age women, with new reproductive restrictions associated with a 5.81% higher annual suicide rate compared to pre-enforcement years. Research like this underscores the dangerous and potentially deadly consequences of abortion bans and it SHOULD NOT be ignored. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAAC2ZPe