POST-DOBBS AMERICA
In the wake of the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, abortion policy is in the hands of the states. Today, 13 states have near-total abortion bans. Some of these restrictive laws are newly crafted, and others are the result of “trigger laws” on the books from decades ago. Six states retained or strengthened abortion access through ballot measures in 2022. More than a dozen states are considering further restrictions on abortion, including total bans, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

With this state-by-state, ever-changing legal landscape post-Dobbs, it’s understandable that there is “widespread public confusion” about abortion laws. According to a February 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation polling analysis, nearly half of women are unsure whether medication abortion is legal in their state. In states with total abortion bans, 60% do not know that medication abortion is illegal. While 93% of adults have heard of emergency contraceptives (“Plan B”), a third are unsure whether it is legal in their state, and a majority of younger women incorrectly believe it can end an early pregnancy.

MISSION
To address this confusion, the Defend Freedom Education Fund is a new 501c(3) organization with a simple but bold program: to educate the public about the status of reproductive health care and access to abortion in their state. Over the next five years, we plan to reach millions of Americans with vital information about their reproductive health care options and educate them on how exercising their right to vote can define their reproductive freedom. We believe that providing this vital information will help countless women navigate this uncertain terrain so that they can safeguard their health, and even their lives, when faced with difficult reproductive situations.

Former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, a fierce defender of reproductive freedom in her four decades in Congress, is our honorary chair. Management is led by veterans of large scale 501c(3) communications efforts: Karen Olick of SKDK, Julie Norton and Tamia Booker of Mosaic Communications, communications strategist Rose Kapolczynski, and Leilani Beaver of Beaver Legal Corporation. For more information, or to get involved, contact info@defendfreedomeducationfund.org.