January 22, 2025 marks what would be the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
Dr. Jamila Perritt, President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health and ob/gyn in Washington DC reflects:
“Today we acknowledge what would have been the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that secured constitutional protections for those seeking abortion care. As an ob/gyn and abortion provider, I have seen first-hand the devastating impact of the 2022 Dobbs’ decision which ultimately overturned the federal protections of Roe.
“Similar to the period before Roe was decided, today we live in a world where people are not only stigmatized for seeking or providing lifesaving health care but are criminalized for it—forced to make life altering decisions with limited resources and little time. Over the last two years, I have witnessed countless providers struggle to navigate a legal and legislative landscape that is ever changing and compromises their ability to compassionately care for their communities—the work that they trained for many years to provide; the work they took an oath to do. In addition to the chaos, confusion and harm that the Dobbs ruling has caused, we have also witnessed the growing impact on the future provider workforce. The decision has adversely impacted our ability to educate and train the next generation of health care providers, leading to worsening health inequities that harm communities already disparately impacted by poor health outcomes and lack of access to care. We are all exhausted. We are all overwhelmed. We all deserve better.
Abortion bans don’t make pregnant people safer. They don’t improve care or increase wellbeing. They are dangerous. They are deadly.
“This year, we saw clearly the real-life implications of abortion bans. The deaths of Candi Miller, Amber Thurman, and Porsha Ngumezi, and the harm caused to many others whose names we may never know, has shown us what we already knew to be true. Abortion bans don’t make pregnant people safer. They don’t improve care or increase wellbeing. They are dangerous. They are deadly.
“The overturning of Roe has also emboldened anti-abortion legislators to introduce and pass legislation that is increasingly extreme. They will not stop. This week alone, Congress is considering H.R. 21, a bill solely based on misinformation and, if passed, would interfere with medical judgment and evidence-based practices, and criminalize those who seek and provide abortions. Let me be clear when I say: politics has no place in medicine, the decisions we make about our health care, and if, when, and how we build our families. Those decisions must be left to patients and trusted providers. It is that simple.
We deserve more than the legal right to access care. We deserve care that is liberatory.
“As we acknowledge the anniversary of Roe, we also honor and name the reality that Roe v. Wade was never enough to guarantee care for those in the greatest need but with the least access. We have always needed and deserved something more expansive and more robust. We deserve more than the legal right to access care. We deserve care that is liberatory. The truth is that liberatory care does not come from court decisions. Liberatory care does not begin or end in our hospitals, abortion clinics or clinical care spaces. True reproductive justice and building a liberatory model of care demands moving beyond the legal right to abortion. It requires that we address systemic inequities that disenfranchise those of us living on the margins of oppression. It requires the implementation of statutes that not only protect access to abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care, but also confront systemic inequities in housing, education, food security, environmental safety, and economic opportunity. If we truly seek care that is liberatory, we must demand more for ourselves and our communities.
“At PRH, we are dedicated to centering medicine and science and prioritizing evidence-based practices to best support our patients. As we look to the year ahead, we are committed to ensuring people receive care rooted in bodily autonomy, compassion, truth, and equity. Despite the tough times ahead, our North Star remains the same. We envision a world in which EVERYONE is free to make their own decisions about their bodies, families, and futures. No matter who needs abortion care, whatever their reason may be, we will continue to ensure that care is readily available free from barriers, shame, or stigma. We will continue to fight for that world for our patients and for ourselves. It is what we deserve.”
