Abortion Care is Health Care
Access to abortion care is an essential component of the right to health. Overturning Roe v. Wade’s constitutional protection of the right to abortion and creating new barriers to legal abortion in the US will have profound effects on public health. This page provides resources for policymakers, advocates, and community members who want to understand who will be most affected by criminalization of abortion care, what those impacts will be, and what they can do to support legal, safe abortion.
The public health community, like the majority of Americans, strongly believe that abortion care is health care. On May 4, 2022 the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, along with Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health published an open letter to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) urging them to protect the constitutional right to abortion. Our goal was to both bring awareness to the violation of the human right to health and provide evidence that shows public health requires that safe abortion remain legal and available.
Our letter, published in the Washington Post on May 8th, now has over 1,350 signatures, including 26 Deans of schools of public health.
Sign Our Letter Urging SCOTUS to Uphold Roe
Sign here.
Read Publications By/Featuring Our Faculty
Media Clips:
BMJ, June 2022, "Overturning Roe v Wade has had an immediate chilling effect on reproductive healthcare": https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1622 by Terry McGovern
Public Health Now, June 2022, "Our Experts React to the Supreme Court Decision on Abortion": https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/our-experts-react-supreme-court-decision-abortion featuring comments from Terry McGovern, Stephanie Grilo and Kelli Hall
The Conversation, May 2022, "US abortion law decision brings attention to rights of women in Africa": https://theconversation.com/us-abortion-law-decision-brings-attention-to-rights-of-women-in-africa-182602 by Sara Casey
Irish Examiner, May 2022, "Comment: Threat to Roe v Wade sees state power used to control women’s bodily autonomy": https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-40863965.html by Terry McGovern and Malia Maier
BMJ, April 2022, "Overturning Roe v Wade would be an unprecedented attack on the bodily autonomy of women, girls, and pregnant people": https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1019 by Terry McGovern
Future of Personal Health, March 2022, "Future of Personal Health- Reproductive Rights (Again) Under Attack: Bracing for a Post-Roe World": https://www.futureofpersonalhealth.com/womens-health/reproductive-rights-again-under-attack-bracing-for-a-post-roe-world/ by Terry McGovern, Malia Maier and JP Eugenio
Public Health Now, September 2021, "Q&A With Terry McGovern on the Texas Abortion Law": http://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/qa-terry-mcgovern-texas-abortion-law
Peer-reviewed articles:
BMC Health Services Research, October 2021: "Racial/ethnic and educational inequities in restrictive abortion policy variation and adverse birth outcomes in the United States" by Sara K. Redd, Whitney S. Rice, Monica S. Aswani, Sarah Blake, Zoe Julian, Bisakha Sen, Martha Wingate & Kelli Stidham Hall.
Women's Health Issues, October 2021: "Racial and Ethnic Abortion Disparities Following Georgia's 22-Week Gestational Age Limit" by Elizabeth A. Mosley, Sara K. Redd, Sophie A. Hartwig, Subasri Narasimhan, Emily Lemon, Erin Berry, Lisa Haddad, Roger Rochat, Carrie Cwiak and Kelli Stidham Hall.
American Journal of Public Health, June 2020: "Abortion Trends in Georgia Following Enactment of the 22-Week Gestational Age Limit, 2007–2017" by Kelli Stidham Hall, Sara Redd, Subasri Narasimhan, Elizabeth A. Mosley, Sophie A. Hartwig, Emily Lemon, Erin Berry, Eva Lathrop, Lisa B. Haddad, Roger Rochat and Carrie Cwiak.
Watch Media Appearances on the Aftermath of The Overturn of Roe v. Wade | Featuring Department Chair, Terry McGovern
ABC 7 NY, The Countdown, August 2022, "Reaction on surprise abortion victory in Kansas": https://www.facebook.com/ABC7NY/videos/1846638808877176
Local Memphis, June 2022, "How does HIPAA play a role in post-Roe v. Wade?": https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/health/roevwade-hipaa-memphis-tennessee/522-1983983f-ee01-41bf-b0ec-05da26084ed5
USA Today, June 2022, "Analysis: Ruling upends constitutional law process": https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2022/06/24/analysis-ruling-upends-constitutional-law-process/7725909001/
ABC 7 NY, June 2022, "Columbia Univ. professor on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade": https://abc7ny.com/11992972/
Watch Virtual Events on Roe v. Wade
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRESENTS
WHAT'S NEXT IF ROE V. WADE FALLS?
MAY 12, 2022 - WATCH RECORDING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exuc0ICGzds
Introduction
Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH
Dean and DeLamar Professor of Public Health
Panelists
Goleen Samari, PhD, MPH, MA
Assistant Professor, Population and Family Health
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Terry McGovern, JD
Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Professor and Chair, Population and Family Health
Director, Global Health Justice & Governance Program
COLUMBIA POPFAM PRESENTS
GUTTING OF ROE V. WADE: A PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS
MAY 2, 2022 - WATCH RECORDING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2or9-uzV9tk
Moderator
Chelsea Clinton
Vice Chair, The Clinton Foundation
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Panelists
Dázon Dixon Diallo, DHL, MPH
President and Founder, SisterLove, Inc.
Cecile Richards
Co-founder, Supermajority
Terry McGovern, JD
Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Professor and Chair, Population and Family Health
Director, Global Health Justice & Governance Program
COLUMBIA POPFAM PRESENTS
ROE V. WADE
SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 - WATCH RECORDING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8a612l7eh4
Moderator
Terry McGovern, JD
Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Professor and Chair, Population and Family Health
Director, Global Health Justice & Governance Program
Panelists
Loretta J. Ross
Associate Professor of the Study of Women and Gender, Smith College
Cecile Richards
Co-founder, Supermajority
Listen to Podcasts and Radio Shows Featuring Our Faculty
Hetes Stúdió- "Feminisim sufferend an ugly defeat by banning abortion- Interviews: Arguments and Counterarguments" featuring Department Chair, Terry McGovern
"The US Supreme Court's decision the other day to abolish the constitutional right to abortion caused huge emotional storms in the United States, but also in the more liberal part of the world. We voiced arguments and opinions for and against, including one of the most affected young people, an activist who is deeply anti-abortion. It also turned out that Hungary signed an international anti-abortion declaration in 2020 at Trump's initiative, which could be a weapon in the hands of the authorities. Interviews by Judit Csernyánszky."
Two Way Talk- "Reversal of Roe v. Wade| Expert weighs in on racial and economic justice" featuring Department Chair, Terry McGovern
"Terry McGovern currently serves as Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Professor and Chair of the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health and the Director of the Program on Global Health Justice and Governance at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. In 1989, she founded the HIV Law Project where she served as executive director until 1999. She joins Gabe Ortis to discuss the economic and social impacts of overturning Roe v. Wade."
The World- "Potential global impact if Roe v. Wade is overturned" featuring Department Chair, Terry McGovern
"The leaked draft opinion suggesting that the Supreme Court has a majority to overturn Roe v. Wade has implications both domestically and globally. If it is overturned, abortion bans could take effect in half of the 50 states. Globally, it could affect US funding for reproductive health around the world. The World’s host Marco Werman speaks with Terry McGovern, chair of the Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health."
Download Dr. Goleen Samari’s Public Health Action Guide
Download here.