PPMW, PPADMV, and partners to host rally marking 1-year anniversary of Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the 1-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW) and Planned Parenthood Advocates for DC, MD, & NoVA (PPADMV) are partnering with Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the ACLU, and NARAL to host a mini rally ahead of the Women's March National Day of Action in DC.

WHAT: Rally marking the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
WHEN: Saturday, June 24, 2023, 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
WHERE: Stanton Park, 226 4th St NE, Washington, DC

Purpose

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade one year ago, it stripped tens of millions of people of the right to make their own personal medical decisions. People are being pushed further into pregnancy, having to resort to an abortion method that they wouldn't have otherwise chosen, or not accessing a legal abortion at all.

Within two weeks of the ruling, PPMW was seeing patients from Texas, Georgia, Ohio, and Florida — a trajectory that has only intensified throughout this past year. PPMW has increased health center capacity through expanded hours and telehealth services to meet the needs of these patients, while also protecting and securing abortion access locally.

PPADMV is fighting back against abortion bans and proactively working to safeguard and ensure access to sexual and reproductive rights and freedom within our region.

Data

• In the past year, PPMW has served patients from states beyond the DC Metro area, including Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
• From May 2022 through March 2023, PPMW has: served more than 19,000 patients, completed nearly 30,000 visits, provided 5,300 abortion procedures, provided contraception to more than 12,600 patients, and provided 3,770 telehealth visits.
• PPMW has plans to expand both in-clinic and remote services across the Metro DC region in 2023 and 2024.

Quotes

Comment from Dr. Laura Meyers, President and CEO of PPMW and Co-CEO of PPADMV:

"When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade one year ago, it stripped tens of millions of people of the right to make their own personal medical decisions. Within two weeks, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW) was seeing patients from Texas, Florida, and other states hundreds of miles away. PPMW is protecting and securing access locally by increasing our health center capacity, collaborating with partner organizations, and providing financial resources through our Abortion Access Fund. Our doors remain open and our team will continue to provide non-judgemental, high quality sexual and reproductive health care for all those who come to us seeking care, regardless of their zip code."

Comment from Karen Nelson, President and CEO of PPM and Co-CEO of PPADMV:

"The Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade is a tragedy. The ramifications have been devastating on those seeking healthcare across the nation. We knew that demolishing 50 years of a constitutional right was the next step in the anti-abortion playbook. A year later, the reality of it is heartbreaking. But it is also encouraging to see the concentrated efforts to fight back against these bans. We are proud of the work being done in Maryland. We are proud that Maryland will remain a state where abortion care will be available to all. We will continue to fight the fight!"

Comment from Dr. Serina Floyd, Chief Medical Officer, PPMW:

"One year after the Supreme Court decided to gut abortion legal protections, I am regularly caring for patients who have been forced to navigate the fallout. As a woman, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a friend, and an abortion provider, I am outraged by the constant attacks on our reproductive freedom. But I am also tremendously proud of how the sexual and reproductive health community has rallied to do all we can to ensure we continue to provide the necessary healthcare that is abortion, no matter what."

About PPMW

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington's (PPMW's) mission is to provide high-quality, affordable reproductive health care; promote education programs that empower all individuals to make informed and responsible reproductive choices; and to protect the right to make those choices. PPMW is the oldest and largest provider of family planning services in Metropolitan Washington, serving DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

About PPADMV

Planned Parenthood Advocates for DC, Maryland & NoVa (PPADMV) is Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC's and Planned Parenthood of Maryland's shared 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. PPADMV advocates legislatively, politically and electorally in Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia for priorities that are part of Planned Parenthood's mission, which includes fighting for people to be able to make their own reproductive choices.

SOURCE Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C.; Planned Parenthood Advocates for DC, Maryland & NoVa