For Immediate Release: February 23, 2026
Contact: napawf@berlinrosen.com

Developed with Lake Research Partners and Sprout Insight, the landmark study offers the most comprehensive, standalone, disaggregated analysis to date of how AAPI women and gender expansive people understand abortion rights, risk, and access in the post-Dobbs era.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 23, 2026) – The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), the only national organization dedicated to advancing reproductive justice for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women, girls, and gender expansive people, today released its report, Beyond the Labels: AAPI Women on Abortion Care, Dignity, and Criminalization. The report is the largest national, multilingual, and disaggregated study of AAPI women’s views on abortion, offering groundbreaking qualitative and quantitative findings across over 25 ethnicities on how AAPI women are engaging with abortion through the lenses of healthcare access, immigrant rights, and government enforcement.

Taken together, the findings challenge common assumptions about AAPI communities. Across differences in culture, language, immigration status, and political identity, AAPI women consistently view abortion as health care and a deeply personal decision. A strong majority rejected the use of punishment or criminalization, with 86% of AAPI women saying it is important to protect the rights of people who are pregnant or could become pregnant. At the same time, gaps in accessible, culturally relevant information and a lack of trusted messengers limit urgency and engagement, even when underlying support for equitable, compassionate care is strong.

That disconnect has real consequences in the current policy landscape. In the wake of Dobbs, abortion access has become increasingly restricted and, in many cases, criminalized, intensifying risks for communities already navigating multiple barriers to care. More than two-thirds (66%) of AAPI women identify immigration status as a barrier to accessing abortion, and widespread concerns about bans, cost, and insurance make contact with legal and government systems feel especially fraught.

Despite their growing political power, AAPI women remain largely excluded from policy debates and political outreach. As one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. electorate, AAPI communities are poised to shape electoral outcomes, yet are often overlooked due to persistent mischaracterizations of their political engagement and a longstanding lack of comprehensive, disaggregated data.

“Reproductive justice is deeply personal, shaped by race, gender, income, culture, and immigration experiences. This research moves beyond one-size-fits-all narratives to reflect the real diversity of how AAPI women and gender-expansive people approach conversations around abortion access,” said Christina Baal-Owens, Executive Director of NAPAWF. “Advocates and policymakers need to understand AAPI perspectives to minimize harm and protect the communities whose lives are on the line. In today’s destabilized political landscape, we can’t afford to leave any voice overlooked.”

With this research, reproductive justice advocates, policymakers, and candidates can ground conversations in AAPI women’s lived realities and values, moving beyond stereotypes and assumptions to meaningfully connect with voters whose experiences and power have been rendered invisible.

“When we invest in research that truly reflects the richness and diversity of AAPI communities, we uncover a far more accurate and meaningful picture that is representative, nuanced, and genuinely useful. With more than 24 million AAPI people spanning over 50 ethnicities in this country, rigorous and inclusive research is essential to illuminate both the sharp contrasts and subtle differences shaped by generation and the immigrant experience. Advocates and policymakers now have a powerful new tool to craft solutions grounded in the lived realities of the communities they seek to serve,” said Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research Partners.

Key findings from the report include:

  • AAPI women and gender expansive people overwhelmingly support abortion care, with 65% believing that abortion should be generally available or that regulation of abortion is necessary, although it should remain legal in many circumstances. 
  • Abortion is a personal decision, not a political issue for AAPI women, with an overwhelming majority (84%) of AAPI women agreeing people should be able to make their own abortion decisions without government interference, and just 4% describing abortion as “political.” Top associations include personal-decision making, human rights, safety, and freedom. 
  • AAPI women draw a clear line between reproductive health care and crime, with 76% agreeing that no one should face jail time for trying to get an abortion. This rejection of punishment holds even among women who support tougher criminal laws or favor abortion restrictions.
  • Strong support for health equity exists, with nearly six in 10 AAPI women supporting removing the five-year wait for Medicare for lawfully present immigrants.
  • Knowledge of abortion policy remains limited among AAPI women, with only 19% of AAPI women saying they know a lot about their state’s laws, and more than half say it is easy to get an abortion where they live. However, most focus group participants, who all reside in illegal or hostile states, were unaware that their states ban abortion, revealing a significant knowledge gap. 
  • When AAPI women do get clear information, engagement rises quickly. About six in 10 say they would vote after learning more, and more than half say they would sign a petition (55%) or talk with friends and family (53%) once they feel informed.

To see all the findings, download the full report.

NAPAWF Beyond the LabelsDownload

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About NAPAWF
The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue organization dedicated to building power for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women, girls, and gender expansive people through community organizing, research, and policy advocacy. Founded in 1996, NAPAWF advances reproductive justice, economic justice, and immigration and racial justice by building collective power through organizing, advocacy, and strategic communications.

About Lake Research Partners

Lake Research Partners is a national public opinion and political strategy research firm founded by Celinda Lake in 1995. A certified woman-owned, small business, the firm is comprised of leading information and political campaign strategists, serving as tacticians and senior advisors to a wide range of advocacy groups, labor unions, non-profits, government agencies, companies and foundations, as well as dozens of elected officials at all levels of the electoral process. The firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, and California.

About Sprout Insight

Sprout Insight is a multicultural, women-owned consulting practice focused on understanding people–how they think, what they value, and what shapes their experiences. Founded by psychologists Dr. Kathy Burklow and Dr. Lisa Mills, Sprout Insight brings more than 40 years of combined research experience. Sprout Insight ensures that approaches and interpretations of findings are culturally grounded and strategic with the goal of helping organizations better understand and serve their target audiences.