Reproductive Justice

The ACLU works to ensure that every person can make the best decision for their self and their family about whether and when to have a child.

A decision about having a baby or having an abortion is a personal, private decision best left to a woman, her family, and her doctor. Yet some politicians remain obsessed with interfering. Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed today, and it is reliably safe. Nearly one in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime. But laws that make it difficult—if not impossible—for a woman to get an abortion if she needs one, particularly if she is poor, are increasing at an alarming rate. Since 2011, states have enacted more restrictions to abortion than they did in the previous ten years combined. Extremist politicians continue to work to shut down women's health centers, cut off access to affordable birth control, and shame women who have abortions. The ACLU works to make sure that Californians have equal access to reproductive and sexual health care—including abortion, affordable birth control, and prenatal care. We ensure that schools teach accurate and unbiased sex education. We also work to make sure that every woman's child-bearing decisions are respected.