by: Tara Steere, 2025 Collective Power Intern
Photo: MOIRA WARBURTON | Credit: REUTERS
Three years ago, in May 2022, I was sitting with my parents, half-watching TV, when my phone started blowing up. At first, I tried to ignore the buzzing, assuming it was just a group chat going off. But the notifications kept coming. I finally flipped over my phone and opened my messages: “wtf. they’re overturning roe v. wade.” “i think it’s dobbs v. jackson women’s health??” “how is this possible?!!?”
My stomach dropped. I reread the messages, hoping I had misunderstood. But a quick Google search confirmed my fears. I read a headline quoting Supreme Court Justice Alito’s majority opinion, which read, “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start…the inescapable conclusion is that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions.”
By the next morning, we mobilized. As co-president of the feminist club at my school, we called an emergency meeting to process the news, discuss the leaked Supreme Court draft, and make signs for a protest happening later that day. The room filled quickly with students, and it felt good to be surrounded with those sharing the same mixture of emotions– shock, rage, and despair. We passed around poster boards and markers. I wandered between tables, reading slogans scribbled in Sharpie. Mine read “abortion is healthcare,” which still hangs up in my room today.
For nearly five decades, Roe v. Wade constitutionally protected the right to abortion under the broader right to privacy. It felt like a period of reprieve, but in reality, anti-abortion activists were slowly chipping away at Roe’s foundation. State by state, legislators passed trigger laws that went into effect the moment Roe fell, making abortion access nearly impossible for millions. Since the Dobbs decision, we have seen a ripple of abortion bans across the country, allowing politicians to intervene in what should be personal, medical, decisions between patient and doctor.
As of now, forty-one states have abortion bans with limited exceptions, including thirteen that have implemented total abortion bans. Even in places like New Hampshire, where abortion remains legal up to 24 weeks, this right is not explicitly protected in the state’s constitution, leaving it vulnerable. Furthermore, federal efforts like the Project 2025 agenda continue to threaten bodily autonomy and reproductive health–pushing legislation that prohibits abortion travel funding, rescinding guidance that requires hospitals to perform an abortion to save a woman’s life under EMTALA, and more. These actions mark a steady erosion of reproductive rights in the United States.
Although it’s difficult to maintain a positive outlook, I am so grateful to be working with those at RFFNH who are dedicated to serving their community members and helping those with financial barriers. Since Roe fell, Repro Fund has helped more than 1200 people in New Hampshire and across the country access abortion care, totaling over $727,000 in direct abortion funding. Their work reminds me that change is possible, and that collective action and compassion are the most important tools in the fight for reproductive freedom.
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