Governors Create Reproductive Freedom Alliance to Defend Access to Care
On February 21, a coalition of 20 governors across the United States announced the formation of an alliance committed to preserving reproductive rights and safeguarding access.
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By - To sustain the right to an abortion and other forms of reproductive care, democrat Governors from 20 states are pledging to create a nationwide ‘abortion firewall’ in the form of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. The group spanning both coasts onto Hawaii currently represents nearly 170 million Americans.
“In the last year alone, over 36 million women have lost access to critical healthcare with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Medication abortion — one of the safest forms of health care for decades now — may be stripped from our clinics and hospitals nationwide. Doctors face criminal prosecution for providing care. Extremists are trying to restrict access to contraception — and we know they won’t stop there,” said a joint quote from the Governors.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, 12 states have enforced strict abortion bans limiting procedures in all but a few instances. In 12 other states, abortion has been banned after a certain point in the pregnancy, or lawmakers are working to enforce an abortion ban.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom leads the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, and significant funding for the group will come from the California Wellness Foundation. The alliance’s launch coincides with a court case in a Texas federal court that seeks to ban medication abortion. Its inauguration also comes as presidential hopefuls begin to announce their candidacies for a 2024 race that will likely focus heavily on healthcare and abortion rights.
In the announcement concerning the alliance, Governor Newsom touted California’s leadership: “California has long been a leader in reproductive rights, but we can’t do it alone. We have gathered a coalition of bi-partisan governors to commit to reproductive freedom; a coalition this size — 20 and counting — has never been done before. This alliance is a moral obligation to what is right and will stand as a firewall to fight for and protect providers, patients, and all affected by these attacks on fundamental rights.”
For now, the Reproductive Freedom Alliance serves little purpose other than to present a united front between pro-choice states and provide a platform for communication on critical reproductive rights issues.
Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies have found opportunities in the post-Roe world to expand their offerings and make more medication available over the counter. In July last year, HRA Pharma applied to make its once-daily birth control pill at pharmacies without a prescription, while retail pharmacies Walgreens and CVS have introduced simpler processes for sending abortion pills to patients.
