The Supreme Court overturned the federal right to legal abortion. Abortion rights have been left to the fate of individual states. 13 states have a near-total ban on abortion. Ultimately, abortion restrictions would disproportionately affect marginalized groups, such as working class people, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ folks. Even though Governor Hochul passed legislation on May 2 to provide access to abortion pills on CUNY and SUNY campuses, we are seeing increased attacks in the use of abortion pills at the national level. Even in states like New York, which are considered abortion safe havens, attacks like this on abortion rights will impact the accessibility of services. 41% out of the 65,000 abortion procedures in NY rely on abortion pills. This example show that we must continue to fight for free, safe and legal abortion, which includes surgical and medical abortions. We can’t see abortion pills as a substitute for legalized abortion of all kinds. We demand legislation guaranteeing the basic right to an abortion so it becomes federal law nationwide.

As the largest urban public university in the nation, it is our time to raise our voices and stand up for reproductive freedom and justice. 

Voting blue won't stop these attacks. The Democrats have promised to protect abortion rights at the federal level in almost every electoral cycle, with little to show for. In order to defeat these attacks on abortion rights we will have to build a movement in the streets that forces through a federal law for free and legal abortion. We need to build that movement at CUNY — students, faculty, and staff together.