For the first time in nearly 50 years, state legislatures will go into session this year without the guardrails of the landmark Roe v. Wade precedent protecting abortion rights. We’re preparing to face even more attacks on abortion access in the coming year, but this fight goes far beyond any single committee hearing or court argument. The ability to access abortion care is fundamentally about whether people can control their lives and livelihoods, their dreams and autonomy, and the future they want to create.

Sharing your abortion story is a critical part of this fight. It’s how we show the world the long-term, life-changing impact of this essential health care on people’s lives. It’s how we destigmatize the decision to access care. It’s how we confirm that someone we love will need an abortion one day. And it’s how we continue to make clear to politicians that abortion is a fundamental right that we all deserve.

Hundreds of people have shared their stories with us about dreams made true by abortion access. Years later, abortion remains the best decision.

“I was a teenager with aspirations for a better life. My parents never received a high school diploma. When I received a college degree, they were beaming with pride. No regrets!” — Abby, California

“I was 17 years old, recently left the state of Alaska’s foster care system by going through the emancipation process, and on the cusp of graduating from high school. I secured an appointment to the Air Force Academy Preparatory School, but I had an unplanned pregnancy. In order to pursue my dream of serving my country and achieve higher education, I had to either sign the rights of the baby over or decline an opportunity of a lifetime. I didn’t question my decision once and thankfully, received a safe and free abortion via Medicaid.

“I am Alaska Native. I am an Air Force veteran who graduated from the Air Force Academy. I am now able to start a family when the time is right. The right to choose allowed me to rise out of poverty, achieve higher education, and become a parent under far better socioeconomic circumstances than if I had not had access to an abortion.” — Anonymous

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

“I was a 21 year old in college when my birth control failed. I was on the pill and took a supplement that I was unaware would [affect] my birth control … When I saw the positive pregnancy test I was confused and scared. I had dreamed of becoming a teacher my entire life. I knew that having a baby would mean I would need to drop out of the teaching program. Student teaching is full time and unpaid. I was not in a steady relationship and both my parents worked full time. I would not be able to afford childcare while I finished school. I chose to terminate the pregnancy at seven weeks. To this day it is the hardest decision I have ever had to make.

“I went on to graduate college with a double major in elementary education and psychology. I have been teaching for six years and have been able to make an impact on hundreds of children. I recently became a foster parent so that I could foster one of my students in a family crisis. I now have a beautiful daughter that I was able to have with a man who loves and supports me. None of this would have happened if I had been forced to have a child in college.” — Anna, Indiana

“A month before I started law school I had an abortion at Planned Parenthood. I was 22. Without access to reproductive health care I may not have become a human rights attorney. I am now a mother of two and have practiced law for 20 years.” — Annie, Illinois

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

“When I was 20 I became pregnant. I was on birth control pills and was on an antibiotic which made the pill ineffective. I was young and immature, doing very poorly in college and living with my long-time boyfriend who was abusive. I knew I was not in the right state of mind to have a baby and my life was such a mess, there was no way it would be stable enough for a new baby. I made the decision to have an abortion and to this day I stand behind this decision. I was able to work on myself after the abortion — got a full-time job, started to turn my college grades around, and finally broke up with the abusive boyfriend. I knew if I was ever to get pregnant again I wanted to be in a better place in my life.” — Holly, Indiana

ACLU/Michael Ade

“Afterward I never regretted my decision. I just feel grateful I had the opportunity to make the decision to not carry a baby. My life would be so much different. I was able to put myself through college, leave Ohio and experience so many things. I am now in my 40s and child free by choice and would not have it any other way. I can’t believe that women will not have the same rights I did. I need to fight for the next generation and hopefully sharing my abortion story is one small thing I can do.” — Dani, California

“Do I regret it? Not a damn bit […] I’ve regretted that I ended up in the situation in the first place, sure. But actually having the abortion itself is one of the few choices in my life that I have full faith I made correctly. I don’t want kids. I’ve never actively wanted kids. A child at the age I was would have ended me.” — Rhi, Georgia

“I had the abortion, gratefully, and never looked back. I am forever grateful that I was able to make that choice. If I hadn’t, I would never have married my husband, had my three children and now three grandchildren. My life would have been forever altered, changed, and I would have been connected to a boy/man that I didn’t love. I have never looked backed, never regretted my decision. I am eternally grateful to the strong women who came before me and fought for my right to choose. And I will continue that fight.” — Jane, New York

ACLU/Gwen Schroeder

“I would not be in the successful and happy place I am in life if I would have followed through with that pregnancy. I don’t think about it unless asked and I do not regret it. I am thankful especially every time I look at my son.” — Ambre, Pennsylvania

“I don’t regret my decision to have an abortion because I took into consideration every circumstance and detail of my life in that moment in time to guide that decision. Nobody knows me more intimately than me. Twenty-five-year-old me did not possess the ability or willingness to raise a child responsibly with the unselfish love every child deserves. […] I never once regretted my abortion. I married that man I fell in love with years later and had my first of three children at the age of 30. Now at 66, I am grateful for so much — my marriage, children, career, travels, and now grandchildren. All of it thanks to self-empowerment, access to reproductive health care, and the legal right to choose.” — Kathy, Washington

ACLU/Jordana Bermúdez

“I was living paycheck to paycheck and knew I couldn’t afford another mouth to feed. I had no family to help or support me. I thought about giving the baby up for adoption but after speaking with an attorney and he explained the process I broke down in his office because I knew I could not go through with the adoption process. I knew my only option was abortion. I chose to have abortion. […] That was 13 years ago. I think about the abortion often, but I have no regrets. It was my choice!! Today I am 39 years old, a stay-at-home mom with three amazing kids and a loving husband.” — Sarah, Illinois

“It was the best decision I have ever made. I couldn’t financially support a baby, I could barely support myself. My mental health isn’t good. It was probably the worst it’s ever been when I got my abortion. I had contemplated suicide so many times. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to get access to abortion and it destroyed me mentally. I have never regretted my decision and I never will. My life matters, I matter. What I want out of life matters. I was just a kid, I still am, and I don’t think I should have to raise another one.” — Kali, Georgia

“My abortion gave me the ability to regain my life. I’ve been sober for three years now, and have regained custody of one of my children. I am a wonderful mom to my living children, and while I deeply regret being an addict in a situation where I had to get an abortion, I know it was the right choice. Not the right choice for me, but for the children who already rely on me, and the person who would have been born into a terrible situation.” — Tiffany, Utah

Even before the bombshell leak of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, 2022 was a harrowing year in the fight for abortion access. From the halls of state legislatures to clinics, advocates, organizers, and abortion providers worked tirelessly to prepare and protect abortion access. When the Dobbs decision was finalized in June, it wasn’t just the revocation of the federal constitutional right to abortion on paper — it was a direct attack on our agency over our lives and our futures, with immediate and devastating consequences.

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In the face of this attack on women’s rights and the bodily autonomy of all people who can become pregnant, we showed up and fought back with the full force of our organization. Alongside our affiliates, partners, volunteers, members, and clients, the ACLU worked to protect and extend access to care in statehouses, courtrooms, and at the ballot box. As we head into the legislative sessions that await us in 2023, we know the road won’t be easy — but we’re ready. Here’s a look back at how we showed up for abortion access this year.

1. Together, we fought back against abortion bans introduced in state legislative sessions earlier in the year, and post-Roe special sessions called in the summer. Though some passed, we were able to defeat bans in key states to preserve health care access.

Credit: Allie Shinn

2. After Roe was overturned, ACLU attorneys and our partners filed lawsuits in nearly a dozen states. We successfully blocked abortion bans in Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Utah, helping to keep abortion services legal for millions of people.

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3. Alongside our affiliates, supporters, volunteers, and partner organizations, we came together to fight for abortion rights in Kansas and Kentucky and to enshrine reproductive freedom in the Michigan, Vermont, and California state constitutions, and we won every race.

American Civil Liberties Union

Extreme Politicians Want to Ban Abortion. We Can Stop Them. | ACLU

We’re fighting abortion bans in the courts. We need your help at the ballot box.

4. To harness people’s outrage at a fundamental right being taken away, ACLU People Power launched the Abortion Activist Series, a collection of virtual events and trainings on how people could join the fight for abortion rights in that moment — no matter where they lived.

YouTube

Abortion Activist Series

Watch ACLU People Power's Abortion Activist Series, a collection of virtual events and trainings on how you can join the fight for abortion rights.

5. In advance of Roe v. Wade being overturned, we worked with activists and partners across the country to mobilize supporters and give them concrete actions to take in the days following the Supreme Court decision.

American Civil Liberties Union

Six Ways You Can Join the Fight for Abortion Rights | ACLU

This is a perilous moment for our rights, but there are still ways to take action.

6. We partnered with We Testify to share the stories of abortion rights advocates whose own experiences with abortion shaped their activism.

American Civil Liberties Union

Abortion is Essential: Stories of Liberation | ACLU

Five storytellers share the liberation they experienced as a result of their abortion.

7. We launched a public education campaign to share the harms of banning abortion and barriers to access when essential care is cut off in your home state.

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8. We shared why it’s important to use inclusive language when talking about abortion, and explained how the ACLU talks about this issue.

American Civil Liberties Union

Why We Use Inclusive Language to Talk About Abortion | ACLU

Women aren’t the only people impacted by the fall of Roe v. Wade.

9. In races across the country, voters and ACLU supporters showed up at the ballot box and told anti-abortion politicians loud and clear that they support abortion access.

American Civil Liberties Union

Abortion Rights Won the Midterms, Now What? | American Civil Liberties Union

The midterms gave us a sense of where voters stand on abortion access. So, what comes next following the many reproductive rights victories?

10. Our privacy and technology experts explained how our digital privacy is implicated by abortion criminalization.

American Civil Liberties Union

Impending Threat of Abortion Criminalization Brings New Urgency to the Fight for Digital Privacy | ACLU

As the Supreme Court nears a ruling that could allow abortion to be criminalized by politicians, privacy activists and lawmakers must shift our approa

As we enter a new year, we’re clear-eyed about the uphill battles that await us in the courts and in state legislative sessions. But the 2022 midterm elections made it clear where the public stands: a majority of voters do not want to see abortion banned, and they believe the people, not politicians, should have the power to make the best medical decisions for themselves and their families. Building on that momentum, we’ll keep fighting to ensure women and people who need abortion can access the health care they need as we enter into our first year without a right countless people have relied on for 50 years. With you by our sides, we know we can win.

To support abortion access, donate today to help us win critical battles in courts and legislatures across the country.