Overview
#ProtectRoeVWade mobilized abortion rights activists from 2016-2022, ultimately failing to prevent the Supreme Court from overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Background: Roe v. Wade
- 1973: Supreme Court ruled abortion constitutional right (privacy)
- Established trimester framework, later modified in Casey (1992)
- 50 years of legal abortion in U.S.
2016-2017: Trump Threat
Election Fears
- Trump promised to appoint anti-abortion justices
- Pence known as anti-choice hardliner
- Women’s March (January 21, 2017): 5 million marchers, abortion rights central
Gorsuch Appointment (2017)
- Replaced Scalia, maintained conservative balance
- Hearings: Refused to call Roe settled law
- Pro-choice activists mobilized but couldn’t block
2018: Kavanaugh Fight
Kennedy Retirement
- Justice Kennedy (swing vote) retired June 2018
- Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh
Christine Blasey Ford
- Sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh
- September 2018 hearings: Ford’s testimony
- #BelieveSurvivors, #ProtectRoeVWade converged
- Kavanaugh confirmed 50-48 despite protests
2020: Barrett & Imminent Threat
RBG’s Death
- September 18, 2020: Ruth Bader Ginsburg died
- 6 weeks before presidential election
- McConnell rushed confirmation (had blocked Garland in 2016)
Amy Coney Barrett
- Trump nominated openly anti-abortion judge
- Confirmed October 26, 2020 (52-48)
- 6-3 conservative majority secured
- Abortion rights advocates knew Roe was doomed
2021: State Bans Accelerate
Texas SB8 (September 1, 2021)
- Banned abortion at 6 weeks (before most know they’re pregnant)
- Private citizen enforcement (bounty hunters)
- Supreme Court let stand via shadow docket
- Roe effectively nullified in Texas
Other State Bans
- Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana passed near-total bans
- Designed to challenge Roe directly
May 2, 2022: Draft Opinion Leaked
Politico Scoop
- Justice Alito’s draft opinion overturning Roe leaked
- First SCOTUS leak in modern history
- Confirmed worst fears: Roe and Casey would fall
Immediate Protests
- Demonstrations at Supreme Court, nationwide
- #ProtectRoeVWade, #BansOffOurBodies trended
- Protests at conservative justices’ homes (legal, but controversial)
June 24, 2022: Dobbs Decision
Roe Overturned
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
- 6-3 decision, Alito majority opinion
- Returned abortion to states
- 13 states’ trigger bans immediately activated
Reaction
- Millions took to streets
- Biden: “A sad day for the Court and country”
- Hashtag shifted to #AbortionIsHealthcare, #VoteProChoice
Post-Roe Landscape
Immediate Bans
- 13 states banned abortion within hours
- 6-week bans, total bans, no rape/incest exceptions
- Doctors afraid to treat miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies
Horrific Cases
- 10-year-old Ohio rape victim forced to travel to Indiana for abortion
- Texas woman denied care for non-viable pregnancy, nearly died
- Women carrying doomed fetuses forced to continue pregnancies
Abortion Pill Access
- Mifepristone battles in courts
- FDA approved telehealth prescriptions
- Shield laws: Blue states protected providers mailing pills
2022 Midterms: Backlash
Ballot Measures
- Kansas (August 2022): Voters rejected abortion ban 59-41 (red state!)
- Michigan, California, Vermont enshrined abortion rights in constitutions
- Kentucky rejected ban
Electoral Impact
- Democrats overperformed expectations
- Abortion rights motivated young, women voters
- Predicted “red wave” didn’t materialize
- Analysts credited Dobbs backlash
2023-2024: Ongoing Battles
State Constitutional Amendments
- Ohio (2023): Abortion rights won 57-43
- Ballot measures became strategy to bypass legislatures
Federal Stalemate
- No 60 Senate votes to codify Roe
- Biden executive orders limited impact
2024 Presidential Election
- Abortion became top issue for women, young voters
- Trump tried to moderate, claimed credit for overturning Roe
- Democrats ran on restoring abortion rights
Criticisms of Movement
Too Little, Too Late
- 50 years of Roe led to complacency
- Didn’t build state-level protections
- RBG didn’t retire under Obama
Didn’t Center Most Affected
- Poor women, women of color already lacked access (Hyde Amendment)
- Wealthy women could travel for abortions
- Focused on middle-class white women
Messaging Failures
- “Rare but legal” conceded ground
- Medical necessity framing excluded autonomy argument
Long-Term Impact
Maternal Mortality
- U.S. already had worst maternal death rate among rich nations
- Post-Dobbs: Experts predicted hundreds more deaths/year
- Black women 3x more likely to die in childbirth
Provider Exodus
- OB-GYNs leaving ban states
- Medical students avoiding training in those states
- Maternity care deserts expanded
Surveillance State
- Period tracking apps, search histories subpoenaed
- Women prosecuted for miscarriages (pre-Dobbs trend worsened)