{"id":101266,"date":"2023-06-02T12:55:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T16:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=101266"},"modified":"2026-02-02T16:04:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:04:43","slug":"after-roe-and-dobbs","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/after-roe-and-dobbs\/","title":{"rendered":"After Roe, After Dobbs"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Dean Onwuachi-Willig lectures from the podium with computer screen in front.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1-424x636.jpg 424w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1-551x826.jpg 551w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1-455x682.jpg 455w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1-229x344.jpg 229w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1-353x529.jpg 353w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1-459x688.jpg 459w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/06\/BU_law-Dean_CRTlecture_0018-683x1024-1-667x1000.jpg 667w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Conor Doherty<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Reproductive Justice<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAfter Roe, After Dobbs\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">On the impacts of the landmark US Supreme Court rulings.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">June 2, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/angela-onwuachi-willig\/\">Angela Onwuachi-Willig<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph record-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-dimensional has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-tertiary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Being able to control reproductive choices\u2014having the ability to decide if and when to give birth and become a parent\u2014is central to determining how one may build a life and future. For some, having control over their reproductive capacities could mean the difference between completing or not completing their education, taking advantage of a particular job opportunity or having to decline it, or moving or not moving to a different location. These decisions shape our economy and our society.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 50 years since the Supreme Court issued its ruling in <em>Roe<\/em>, an entire generation of women and people with reproductive capacities grew up with a stronger sense of their own agency and control over their own bodies. The court\u2019s June 2022 decision in <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em> worked to change that dynamic, practically overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within 100 days of&nbsp;<em>Dobbs<\/em>, dozens of clinics closed in states that had passed abortion trigger laws, leaving women and others with reproductive capacities without easily available access to healthcare that allows them to control their reproductive choices. Those constraints have had immediate implications for healthcare and budgets in other states because people have had to cross state lines to access the healthcare they desire and need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote record-block-bu-pullquote alignwide is-style-modern has-image-focus-center-middle has-tertiary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">As we work back toward national protections for reproductive rights, we have an opportunity to create stronger narratives and stronger protections. The fight will be decades long, working state by state. Still, such mobilization is necessary.\u00a0<\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Many providers in states with new abortion restrictions have no idea how these laws will be enforced, so they are changing practices that were once routine to avoid the threat of legal charges. I have read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/07\/17\/health\/abortion-miscarriage-treatment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a> after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2022\/11\/15\/1135882310\/miscarriage-hemorrhage-abortion-law-ohio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a> after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2022\/10\/27\/1131410832\/abortion-law-exception-fetal-anomaly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a> about patients experiencing ectopic pregnancies, incomplete miscarriages, and other obstetrical conditions, only to be turned away by doctors who fear being charged with facilitating an abortion. These patients face prolonged pain and suffering, and, in the worst cases, the miscarrying person could die from an infection or hemorrhaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these impacts are worse for immigrant women and women of color, who are significantly more likely to die during childbirth, regardless of education or income. Black women, for example, are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prb.org\/resources\/black-women-over-three-times-more-likely-to-die-in-pregnancy-postpartum-than-white-women-new-research-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">five times more likely<\/a> to die from pregnancy-related heart failure and blood-pressure disorders than white women. Acute or chronic health conditions that can result in complications with pregnancy are among the top factors that lead people to seek abortion care. Less access to reproductive healthcare will undoubtedly result in more deaths of Black women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The uncertainty of this moment calls for reflection, conversation, and action, and scholars at BU Law intend to be part of this new phase in the movement for reproductive rights. \u201cAfter <em>Roe<\/em> and <em>Dobbs<\/em>: Seeking Reproductive Justice in the Next Fifty Years,\u201d a symposium organized last January by Professors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/aziza-ahmed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aziza Ahmed<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/nicole-huberfeld\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nicole Huberfeld<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/linda-c-mcclain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linda McClain<\/a>, drew scholars from across the country to explore the legacy of the landmark rulings and the future of reproductive justice in the United States.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay record-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-full-f\">\n<div class=\"photo-f\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"530\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1024x530.jpg\" alt=\"BURJ Program Directors\" class=\"wp-image-98134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1024x530.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-636x329.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1536x795.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1200x621.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-992x513.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1500x776.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1920x994.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-500x259.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1000x518.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1984x1027.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors-1628x843.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/01\/BURJ_Dean_ProgramDirectors.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-caption\">From left to right: Professor Linda McClain, Professor Aziza Ahmed, Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig, and Professor Nicole Huberfeld. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As my friend and colleague <a href=\"https:\/\/law.rutgers.edu\/kimberly-mutcherson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kim Mutcherson<\/a>, reproductive justice scholar and dean of Rutgers Law School, has said, narratives matter. The protections provided by <em>Roe<\/em> were dismantled piece by piece, narrative by narrative. As Dean Mutcherson has warned, <em>Roe<\/em> was far from perfect. It focused too much on doctors and not enough on women. It arguably should have been rooted in sex equality as opposed to privacy, and it failed to address equal access to abortion care. Events like the one held in January can dispel some of the misconceptions we hold about what <em>Roe<\/em> did and did not accomplish and help us plan for a post-<em>Dobbs<\/em> future.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we work back toward national protections for reproductive rights, we have an opportunity to create stronger narratives and stronger protections. The fight will be decades long, working state by state. Still, such mobilization is necessary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new generation of lawyers who are equipped to advocate for reproductive rights at the federal, state, and local levels will be critical to this work. That is why BU Law is launching a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/academics\/find-degrees-and-programs\/jd-program\/bu-program-on-reproductive-justice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">program in reproductive justice<\/a> in fall 2023. Led by three faculty who have deep expertise in this field and have developed a strong partnership with the School of Public Health, students will learn to be practitioners and leaders on one of the most pressing issues of our time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Boston is well known as a city of medical and scientific innovation, and BU Law has always been at the forefront of legal education. Our graduates have made lasting impacts on society, and it is critical that we provide our students with the foundation that allows them to remain at the forefront. Perhaps, in another 50 years, we can tell a different story\u2014one about hope and resilience and the power of a movement to build even stronger protections than we had after<em> Roe.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-495x636.jpg\" alt=\"The Record, spring 2023 magazine cover: An orange snap model kit with gavels, jury seats, law graduates, and other items related to the practice of law sit against a blue background.\" class=\"wp-image-101193\" width=\"136\" height=\"174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-495x636.jpg 495w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-797x1024.jpg 797w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-768x987.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1195x1536.jpg 1195w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1593x2048.jpg 1593w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-643x826.jpg 643w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-531x682.jpg 531w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-803x1032.jpg 803w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1028x1321.jpg 1028w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-268x344.jpg 268w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-412x529.jpg 412w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-535x688.jpg 535w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-823x1058.jpg 823w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1061x1364.jpg 1061w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1285x1652.jpg 1285w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-1606x2064.jpg 1606w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-778x1000.jpg 778w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/05\/RS23-cover-scaled.jpg 1991w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 136px) 100vw, 136px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>FEATURED IN<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>The Record<\/em>, Spring 2023<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/news-stories\/issues\/spring-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">See all stories<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being able to control reproductive choices\u2014having the ability to decide if and when to give birth and become a parent\u2014is central to determining how one may build a life and future. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21946,"featured_media":98134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":98085,\"hed\":\"BU Law to Launch Program on Reproductive Justice\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard 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