Politicians and extremist courts are advancing harsh bans on abortion access in states across the country. In the face of these attacks, medication abortion has become a keystone for reproductive freedom, now accounting for more than half of all abortions in the United States. Mifepristone – one of the pills commonly used for medication abortion in the US – has established a two-decade track record of exceptionally safe use since its FDA approval in 2000.

But emboldened by an unchecked, conservative Supreme Court, anti-abortion activists are pushing a dangerous and unprecedented lawsuit in Texas to restrict mifepristone access nationwide. Their case will not cause any changes to the availability of medication abortion until it reaches the Supreme Court. However, as the case travels up the legal system, anti-abortion activists have already won concerning opinions from lower court judges that would severely impact the availability of medication abortion if these rulings were allowed to take effect.

We know we can’t depend on the courts to defend our reproductive freedom. It’s up to us to fight back.

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) this year published a groundbreaking report on medication abortion which found that Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) people of reproductive age overwhelmingly have little to no knowledge about medication abortion.  This is exacerbated by language barriers, cultural stigmas, and insurance restrictions that further keep our communities from accessing the care we need.

Abortion stigma is a reality that we know all too well. 

Our research also showed that AANHPI community members want support and deserve more honest and open conversations about our sexual and reproductive health. Together, we need to face down cultural stigmas and barriers to care that prevent us from accessing the full range of abortion care we need.