The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision on Abortion Rights and Access Across the United States

Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney's Opening Statement [PDF]

On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a hearing to examine the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, focusing on states where access to abortion has already been restricted or is under threat.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs that the Constitution does not confer the right to abortion, overturning two landmark Supreme Court decisions and nearly a half-century of legal precedent.  Following the Dobbs decision, many laws severely restricting or banning abortion have taken effect—or will soon take effect.  At least 13 states had “trigger bans” in place—which made abortion illegal immediately upon Roe’s reversal or shortly thereafter.  Several other states have implemented extensive restrictions on abortion, meaning that in the coming weeks abortion may be banned or effectively banned in up to 26 states.  Some states have gone so far as to pass laws to prosecute their own residents who attempt to travel across state lines for abortion care.

This hearing will examine the devastating consequences these abortion restrictions are already having on patients and providers in these states.  The hearing will also discuss how pushing abortion care out of reach perpetuates cycles of adverse health and economic outcomes.  This is particularly true for people of color—who experience systemic discrimination in health care delivery—as well as LGBTQI+ individuals, people with lower incomes, and people in rural communities.

The hearing will also examine the actions Democrats are taking to protect and expand the right to abortion and fight back against Republicans’ ultimate goal of a national abortion ban.