The Path Forward on Abortion Resource Guide

This page is updated regularly.

January marked 50 years since Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that affirmed the constitutional right to abortion. Unfortunately, in June of 2022, this decision was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

On Friday evening, April 7, 2023, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas ordered the Food and Drug Administration to suspend its two-decade-old approval of mifepristone, one of two medications commonly used in medication abortion.  At the same time, a federal judge in Washington State issued a conflicting ruling. Kacsmaryk's decision (if upheld) jeopardizes access to mifepristone and could remove mifepristone from the market nationwide.  In response, Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Texas Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-TX) leader, and Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, Executive Director of Women of Reform Judaism, released a statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism and Women of Reform Judaism. Read the full statement denouncing Judge Kacsmaryk's decision.

Mifepristone is still available. Most recently, following complex court battles, the United States Supreme Court ruled to stay Judge Kacsmaryk’s mifepristone ruling in full, rejecting court-imposed restrictions as the appeals process continues. This means there will be no change in the availability of mifepristone for now.

TOP ACTIONS TO PROTECT ABORTION ACCESS:

1. Amplify abortionfinder.org & INeedAnA.com and Plan C Guide to Abortion Pill Access for people seeking abortion care
2. Contact Congress and urge them to support
   • the EACH Act to repeal the Hyde Amendment and eliminate a financial barrier to care      
   • the Women's Health Protection Act to create a federal safeguard against state bans and restrictions that obstruct or delay access to care 
3. Donate to abortion funds, which provide financial assistance, travel, lodging, and many other types of support to abortion seekers. Support the RAC and WRJ our efforts to mobilize a Reform Jewish response at the national, state, and local levels.
4. Participate in the Bans Off Our Bodies Weekend of Action on April 15 & 16. Attend the Interfaith Gathering at 10 AM and the Speak Out for Abortion at 12 PM on April 15 in Washington, DC, or find an event near you. 

OTHER RESOURCES AND ACTIONS:

• To participate in advocacy efforts:
  • Contact your local Planned Parenthood organization to be plugged into local advocacy campaign efforts and community care work.
  • Sign the Petition to urge the Biden-Harris Administration to ensure access to the FDA approved medication, mifepristone, and to take all necessary action to protect patients and providers.
  • Get involved in state and federal advocacy for state protections, constitutional amendments, and legislation.
• To find information on receiving abortion care:
  • AbortionFinder: A comprehensive directory of trusted (and verified) abortion service providers in the U.S.
    • Call 1-800-230-PLAN or text "hello" to 202-883-4620 to find the clinics closest to you
  • Keep Our Clinics: Independent community providers who provide most of the abortion care in the US.
  • M+A Hotline: A confidential, private, and secure phone and text hotline for people in need of support for self-managed miscarriage or abortion.
  • National Abortion Fund Hotline: The largest national, toll-free, multi-lingual Hotline for abortion referrals and financial assistance in the U.S. and Canada.
  • Repro Legal Helpline: A free, confidential source for legal advice and information on self-managed abortion. Visit ReproLegalHelpline.org or call 844-868-2812.
  • Abortion On Our Own Terms: A resourced website for people to manage their abortion safely and effectively, on their own terms.
  • INeedAnA.com: Find a clinic - to find vetted, up-to-date, and personalized info on how to get an abortion; no search or user data saved.
    • Apply to volunteer and join their digital abortion access support network
  • Find abortion pills atPlan C or AidAccess
  • For legal advice, go to If/When/How: Lawyering for reproductive justice which provides a confidential legal helpline and legal-defense fund
• To support providers and abortion seekers:
  • Donate to Abortion Funds: Funding for patient care. Learn about NNAF's demands for creating a future where all people have access to abortion without shame or stigma.
  • Support/Share Practical Support Organizations (PSO's): PSOs help abortion seekers with travel and logistical support
  • Volunteer with Operation Save Abortion!
  • Adopt-A-Clinic: Abortion Access Front works with clinics across the country to keep track of urgently needed items like underwear, snacks, and gift cards for patients traveling for care. You can select the clinic or fund you want to support and then purchase items that will be shipped to that clinic or funded directly.
• To destigmatize abortions:
  • Discuss abortion with friends and family, say the word "abortion," and tell your story to destigmatize abortions.
  • Have heart-to-heart conversations with people in your life about abortion and the work of abortion funds using these Heart-to-Heart Abortion Conversation tools and talking points.

Watch the RAC, WRJ, and CCAR's   webinar from May 2022 to   learn more about actions you can take to support abortion access!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON YOUR STATE

• After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State: this digital tool describes the abortion policy of the U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the five most populous U.S. territories. This online tool charts how these governments are responding to the reversal of Roe.
• Track your state's abortion laws
• Here's more information on organizations doing national and state reproductive justice work.

JEWISH RESOURCES ON ABORTION

• Discuss Reproductive Rights on the Bima with the Reform Movement Resource Guide, which includes sample prayers, song suggestions, and sermon starters.
• WRJ's Reproductive Health and Rights Resource Guide
• Jewish Perspectives on Abortion, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
• Some Key Sources on Abortion, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg
• Abortion and Reproductive Justice: A Jewish Perspective, excerpt from 'The Social Justice Torah Commentary,' Rabbi Emily Langowitz and Rabbi Joshua R. S. Fixler