Abortion Rights Are Essential to Democracy
The Brennan Center, in partnership with Ms. Magazine, responds to the ongoing assault on abortion rights across America.
It is an intense period for abortion rights in America. Texas’s strict anti-abortion law S.B. 8 went into effect in September, banning nearly all abortions in the state; the Supreme Court thus far has allowed its enforcement. Now, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the justices have overturned Roe v. Wade.
In this series of essays co-published with Ms. magazine in the lead-up to the Dobbs ruling, Brennan Center staff members weigh in with their expertise and lived experience to reflect on the myriad democratic dysfunctions that have led to this pivotal moment.
Among the contributions are an analysis of adherence to pseudoscience, an inquiry into the role of state courts for protecting reproductive rights, consideration of the outsize role of big money in politics and the anti-abortion agenda, and a look at the legal and societal impact of criminalizing pregnancy and abortion, especially on communities of color.
The fight for abortion rights, the fight for equality, and the fight for representative democracy are all in service of the same goal at the heart of the Brennan Center’s mission: justice for all.
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf
Women and Democracy Fellow
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