Constitutional Law

"A Progressive Agenda for Women's Reproductive Health and Liberty on Roe v. Wade's Thirty-Fifth Anniversary"

ACS is pleased to release an issue brief on "A Progressive Agenda for Women's Reproductive Health and Liberty on Roe v. Wade's Thirty-Fifth Anniversary" by Dawn Johnsen, Professor of Law at the Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington.

In the brief, Professor Johnsen writes that those who would criminalize abortion have much to celebrate regarding their progress since the 1980's. "Decades of mounting legal restrictions combined with harassment and stigmatization of health care provides have made abortion services increasingly less available to growing numbers of women." To overcome these setbacks, pro-choice progressives must articulate an agenda that works "to protect genuine reproductive liberty and reproductive health for all."

I would suggest three shifts in strategic priorities to augment ongoing efforts to persuade courts to invalidate abortion restrictions. First, focus more on persuading the public to support meaningful reproductive options through political action, grassroots organizing and public education. Second, focus relatively less on the threat of criminal abortion bans that would be enforceable if the Court were to overrule Roe and more on abortion restrictions already in place or on the immediate horizon, obstacles both legislative and extra-legal that cumulatively deprive growing numbers of women of access to abortion services. Finally, situate abortion within the full range of progressive policies essential to genuine reproductive health and liberty, policies that empower women and men to prevent unintended pregnancies and to bear and raise healthy and wanted children.

The issue brief is available here.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on January 22, 2008 (boomark / email).