Our team at AFJ is devastated but determined following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade. The decision permits states to regulate our bodies and the most intimate of health care decisions – when to have a child, when to start a family. This horrific decision made possible by a rigging of rules & troubling power plays will irreparably harm our communities and our families. Make no mistake, this decision contains deeply flawed legal reasoning, designed to return and roll back rights for women, Black and Brown residents, and LGBTQ individuals. But since this isn’t a legal analysis show, we wanted to focus on what comes next? What can nonprofits and the communities they serve do following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision? And most importantly… How can we fight back?
Our Lawyers for This Episode:
Natalie Roetzel Ossenfort Leslie Barnes Tim Mooney
Quick Overview
- Very little changed from the draft – for a great deep dive on the draft and opinion, be sure to listen to the excellent analysis at the Strict Scrutiny podcast
- State laws vary widely
- For nonprofits, nonprofits can and should engage in lobbying
- Ballot Measure Advocacy
- Add/defend state constitutional privacy protections (MT, KS)
- In states where there is public support for access to abortions, but the legislature may oppose abortions. (AZ, GA, MI, NC, NH, PA, WI) Abortion Battlefields in a Potentially Post-Roe Political World – Sabato’s Crystal Ball (centerforpolitics.org)
- AFJ State Court resources
- Corporate advocacy
- 501(c)(4)s can target advocacy based on electoral outcomes.
- Justice Thomas’ dissent highlights the issues to come
Resources:
- Strict Scrutiny podcast – deep dive into the draft and final opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Roe is dead. Now what? | Strict Scrutiny (simplecast.com)
- 5 Ways Nonprofits Can Respond to Dobbs v JWHO
- AFJ’s Social Media Toolkit to respond to Dobbs v JWHO
- AFJ’s State Court Justice Project – to research and tap into action on state Supreme Court races
- AFJ’s Bolder Advocacy Podcast on Reproductive Rights Advocacy, recorded pre-Dobbs decision
- AFJ’s Reproductive Rights Advocacy Toolkit for Nonprofits
- Bolder Advocacy’s TA hotline: online form or 866-NP-LOBBY
- Email us at advocacy@afj.org