The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade one year ago. Since then, millions of Americans have lost access to abortion. Ipas’s global network has also seen a ripple effect around the world, with impacts in many of the countries where we work.
Ipas teams report that anti-abortion groups have supercharged their efforts in the last year, sometimes pointing directly to the repeal of Roe as their inspiration. In some places, Ipas-trained abortion providers have decided to stop providing care in the face of heightened opposition. And in the U.S. in the last year, many people have crossed the border into Mexico for abortion care. Moreover, our teams note that Roe’s repeal has had a chilling effect on some governments that were previously working to expand reproductive rights.
Many people have crossed from the United States into Mexico for abortion care
Increased activity by anti-abortion groups
Increased activity by anti-abortion groups—pointing to Roe’s repeal as justification
Some abortion providers have stopped providing
Advocates and government not pushing for progress on reproductive rights
“Roe v. Wade’s repeal was a jolt to abortion rights activists across Africa. It’s a sobering reminder that we must proactively defend legal instruments like the Maputo Protocol that guarantee abortion rights—and we must work to enshrine abortion rights in national laws and constitutions so they cannot be easily repealed or overturned. Ipas is now helping build continent-wide coalitions to do just that.”
Angela Akol, Director of Ipas Africa Alliance
“As expected, the repeal of Roe v. Wade has led to an amplification of the voices of anti-choice groups in India. The messaging of these groups emphasizes that their work will continue until India’s Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, which permits legal abortion, is revoked ‘just like Roe v. Wade was.’”
Vinoj Manning, CEO of Ipas Development Foundation in India
“Despite the overturn of Roe in the U.S., abortion rights are expanding across Latin America thanks to the Green Wave feminist movement. Ipas has been a part of that movement, and since Roe’s repeal we’ve been bringing together abortion rights activists from Latin America and the U.S. to share strategies and build a transnational network of support. We’ll continue to foster such exchanges to build a global and united reproductive justice movement.”
Bethany Van Kampen-Saravia, Senior Legal and Policy Advisor with Ipas U.S.
