AFTER DOBBS

The aftermath of Roe v. Wade.

Cohen and Joffe, both academics, document the stories of 24 people who were directly affected by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. Focusing on three intervals in 2022—before Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, immediately after the ruling, and six months later—the authors evoke a sense of urgency while providing evidence of the injustices that people endured as a result of Dobbs. Citing their previous book, Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America, the authors write, “Two of the most consequential barriers people faced were traveling long distances to a clinic and paying for the abortion.” Those barriers, after Dobbs, are only more significant. “In the year following Dobbs,” they write, “the average travel distance to get to an abortion provider jumped from twenty-five to eighty-six miles, almost 3.5 times more.” They relate one harrowing story that made national headlines: the ordeal of a 10-year-old girl who was raped in Ohio—and had to travel to Indiana to get an abortion. Travel is only one expense. Patients also have to cover the cost of child care, and they lose money when they miss work. “American voters have been crystal clear about their outrage that Roe was overturned,” the authors emphasize. Writing before the 2024 election, they conclude, “A Republican victory for the presidency, especially if it is matched by victories in both the House and Senate, could be disastrous for abortion care in the United States.”

Harsh truths paired with a hopeful call to action.