Cambridge, MA, November 6, 2024 – Yesterday, the United States elected Donald Trump as its 47th president, a candidate whose platform undermines Americans’ fundamental rights to bodily autonomy and presents a grave threat to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care access across the country, and the globe.
Kelly Blanchard, president of Ibis Reproductive Health, released the following statement in response to this election outcome:
"We join our partners in naming the very real threat that a second Trump Administration poses to all of us, and especially to the communities that are already overpoliced and surveilled, who are also the folks who face the highest barriers to reproductive health care access due to systemic inequities and oppression in our health care system and society. We share the very real fear about what this administration will mean for our democracy, our rights, and our freedom. Four years later, the impacts of Trump’s first administration have forced tens of thousands of Americans to travel across state lines or even forgo access to essential health care—including abortion and gender-affirming care—altogether. During a second Trump Administration, we know that accessing the health care we need and exercising our human right to bodily autonomy and self-determination will only become more challenging.
We are heartened by the success of ballot measures to protect our right to access abortion care in Arizona, Colorado Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York and we celebrate the fact that people in these states will be able to access the abortion care they need in their communities. We were sorry to see that ballot measures to expand abortion access in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota failed, and we recognize the amazing work of the folks in all these states who worked so hard on those efforts and know we will continue the fight for our freedom, health, and well-being.
Despite this terrible presidential election outcome, Ibis will continue our work toward a long-term vision of a world where everyone has the power and resources to have a healthy, safe, and pleasurable sexual and reproductive life and build the families they choose. Our rigorous approach to research, conducted in principled partnership with change-makers, advocates, and communities over the last two decades, has created opportunities for not only documenting inequity, but also improving access—even in challenging, uncertain, and legally restrictive environments. Our early leadership in critical topics—including later abortion, self-managed abortion, advancing access through telehealth and smartphone apps, and bringing the first birth control pill over the counter in the US—means we are prepared to meet this moment when innovation in service delivery and bolder ways to expand access are more needed than ever. And our experience working in legally restrictive environments across the globe and amplifying partner expertise will be invaluable in the face of increased attacks and surveillance from the state.
Everyone has the right to access the sexual and reproductive health care they need to live healthy, fulfilled lives, and we will continue to support our partners—both in the United States and across the globe—to identify key strategies to increase access to sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion and contraception care, and generate the data, and evidence to fight draconian policies and work toward a future where everyone, no matter where they live or who they are, can exercise their fundamental human rights."
Since our founding in 2002, Ibis has conducted rigorous research that is responsive to the needs of our partners and the communities they represent. Going forward, we will continue to uplift the expertise of our partners and work to increase access to care, especially in the following areas:
- Abortion access: By documenting the experiences of the people most impacted by abortion bans and restrictions in the United States, we will both demonstrate the harm caused by restrictions on essential health care access and use this evidence to pursue even more creative ways to help people get the care they need safely and securely.
- Contraceptive access: Having an over-the-counter birth control pill available on store shelves across the country will be an essential access point as the Trump Administration threatens to impose restrictions on contraceptive care. With our partners, we will continue to pursue solutions to help people afford and access the product, push for effective implementation of OTC coverage policies in states, and fight for effective implementation of the Biden Administration’s proposed rule requiring coverage for OTC contraceptives.
- Global impacts: We expect the Trump Administration to reinstate the global gag rule, which has limited access to safe, quality abortion care with devastating effects. Ibis will continue to exercise bold leadership on abortion research and advocacy and proactively work with global partners to share evidence demonstrating the harm of this unjust policy.