HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Access to health care has shifted in the years since Roe was overturned.
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark court case protecting access to abortion care. The decision triggered a 2019 law, the Human Life Protection Act, banning most abortions in Alabama. It also made the state one of the first in the country to overturn reproductive rights.
“Access to reproductive health care in general has deteriorated,” Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity (URGE) Alabama Policy Director Austin Roark said.
URGE works to increase reproductive rights for Alabamians, which Roark says extends beyond just abortions.
“We have a health care system that, regardless of Roe falling, isn’t set up to support people giving birth,” they said.
Alabama has remained in the spotlight of reproductive issues nationally after banning almost all abortions two years ago.
This year, the Alabama Supreme Court made a decision classifying frozen embryos as children, bringing IVF treatments to a temporary standstill.
A decision that shocked doctors, patients and the nation.
Months later, infertility clinics have reopened, but many people are still unsure how the future of family planning will look. The state has since passed a new law that protects IVF treatments.
Meanwhile, Roark says the state is failing to provide adequate medical resources, particularly in marginalized communities.
“The hospital is two hours away,” they said. “They are working a full-time job, and they can’t take off because they are living in poverty and have to pay their bills.”
URGE is looking for policy solutions. This year, the group worked on a bill that would have exempted baby and menstrual products from state sales tax.
“We’ve continued fighting for access to health care,” Roark said. “We need to expand Medicaid. We’ve continued to fight for the material conditions for people who are pregnant and parenting and menstruating.”
