My patients have the right to choose to be pregnant because of Roe v. Wade. They can choose to access abortion and access it safely. They have choices and freedom because of Roe. However, in practice, this is not a reality for most women. Access to abortion is severely limited by state regulations.

Even in the liberal leaning state of New York, access can be limited by clinics receiving federal funding that are afraid of losing funding if they provide abortion services or even help patients obtain services elsewhere. Abortion is still stigmatized. Women face discrimination if they choose to have an abortion, and they have to endure jeering protesters or face deliberate deceit from “crisis pregnancy centers” or fake women’s health centers, which trick women and block them from accessing abortion care. A strong legal underpinning is necessary but not sufficient to ensure that women have reproductive freedom, and we must keep moving forward.