UPDATE: To view an on-demand recording of our Emergency Call from 6/28/22 on how lawyers can fight for abortion access post-Dobbs, click the button below to register. You’ll hear from front-line health care providers from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and get information on how lawyers can volunteer.
1. Roe v. wade has been overturned
The Supreme Court has overruled Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic case on June 24, 2022. States now have total leeway to restrict or prohibit abortion altogether. Experts predict abortion will be banned or severely restricted in as many as 26 states in the coming months.
Additionally and based on the court’s analysis, there is the potential for a similar analysis to be applied by future courts to eliminate other rights.
We believe that doing nothing in the face of this decision is not an option.
2. Patients and health care providers are at risk
In addition to the state-based restrictions that are being created by state legislatures in as many as half the states, there are more immediate needs for pregnant women who need medical care. Post-Dobbs, reproductive health clinicians are now forced to make decisions with a legal landscape in flux. They need clear, up-to-date legal guidance to understand the shifting landscape and provide evidence-based essential health care to their patients in light of the Dobbs decision and multiplying state-level restrictions on abortion care.
Without adequate legal guidance, many providers will be unable to provide medically-appropriate care. In short, lives will be lost.
3. Lawyers are needed to help save lives and help fight for change
L4GG has two initiatives for lawyers and law students 1) to help patients access medical care by providing legal guidance to reproductive health care providers; and 2) to help create the policy changes necessary to protect reproductive rights at the state level.
The Reproductive Health Legal Assistance Project
Partnering with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) is mobilizing attorneys and law students across the country to provide legal guidance to front-line reproductive health care providers.
We are seeking lawyers and law students in every state in the country to monitor and report into a national database tracking (1) changes to state and local case law, legislation, and regulations; and (2) information about how restrictions around terminations of pregnancies are being enforced in different jurisdictions.
The State Legislative Advocacy Academy
Worried about reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, civil and human rights? The L4GG State Legislative Advocacy Academy is a first-of-its-kind training series for lawyers and law students to learn how to use their unique skills and privilege to influence public policy in their home states, where these legislative battles are happening.
4. Take Action Now
We invite you to take action now by either texting “Roe” to 404.382.9644 to receive a list of all of these action items by phone, or, by clicking on the buttons below.