This Take Action was put together by the 500 Women Scientists Leadership team and SciMomJourneys team.
Last week, the United States government joined a global anti-abortion pact. While non-binding, the pact, called the “Geneva Consensus Declaration,” signals that the US will work with others to affirm that “there is no international right to abortion.” Polish women marched in protest.
The pact is among several other moves by US leaders to restrict reproductive rights in recent years. This week, anti-abortion and anti-science Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States and the Trump administration has already taken steps to limit access to birth control, restrict reproductive healthcare access both at home and abroad. These actions follow a wave of state-level anti-abortion bills based on pseudoscience.
Take Action:
Stand up for the rights of all people to decide if and when to birth a child. Educate yourself on reproductive justice and the harm caused by historic and current efforts to control the reproductive rights of Black and Brown people both within the US and globally. ( If you are interested in watching the 500 Women Scientists’ Reproductive Justice webinar series to understand these issues, you can contact us here to get access. A summary of the content can be found here.)
Support organizations fighting for reproductive rights in the courts, funding abortions, and advancing reproductive justice.
Hold decision-makers accountable for oppressing people’s right to decide if, when, and how to have children. Now that Amy Coney Barrett is appointed to the US Supreme Court, stay plugged into efforts and organizations ensuring reproductive rights are protected. Donate to political candidates who value comprehensive reproductive healthcare. In the coming months and years, there will be many opportunities to push decision-makers at all levels to do their part to ensure people have the right to decide what to do with their own bodies and are given the support to thrive with any decision they make. We must be standing beside them.
Photo by Anastasiia Kamil on Unsplash