On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 court ruling that recognized the individual right to abortion. This monumental setback for reproductive rights has made it difficult for millions of people to safely access necessary healthcare in the U.S.
Through Roe V. Wade the Supreme Court decided that the “right to privacy implied in the 14th Amendment” meant that abortions were protected under the U.S. Constitution. However, in a 2022 court ruling titled Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, eliminating the consitutional right to abortion and leaving it up to state governments to protect abortion access.
According to a report by the Guttmacher Institute, a leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive rights, “22 states have laws that could be used to restrict the legal status of abortion.” Many of these states, including Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, are in the Southern U.S., and now contain many cities that qualify as “abortion deserts,” areas where individuals have to travel 100 miles or more to reach an abortion clinic. More and more cities are becoming abortion deserts each month since the decision, and these disparities in access disproportinately impact Black women and other women of color.
Black individuals are four times more likely to have an abortion than their white counterparts, and make up a larger percentage of abortion seekers in states that have quickly enacted restrictions following the 2022 ruling. For example, Black patients accounted for 74% of those who received abortions in Missisippi in 2019, a state that now has a near-total abortion ban.
Almost 60% of the country’s Black population resides in the South, a study from the Pew Research Center revealed. Black southerners are also more likely to experience social, economic and geographic barriers when accessing quality healthcare options, which can lead to a higher chance of pregnancy-related complications and sometimes death for Black women. This troubling statistic compounds the existing disparities within U.S. maternal mortality, as Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white or Latino women.
Building Health Equity with Southern Communities Initiative
Poor health outcomes for Black Americans have been apparent for decades, and are exacerbated by social factors like income inequality, education inequity and unemployment. Racial discrimination is a “driving force” behind these factors, and a major roadblock to achieving equitable health outcomes for marginalized populations.
Robert F. Smith is passionate about helping people achieve health equity, defined as equal opportunity to attain one’s highest level of health. This is why Smith supports The Southern Communities Initiative, an effort to “accelerate racial equity funding, programming and convening organizations in six Southern communities” including Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Each of the six cities has a declared a Southern Communities Initiative community lead who coordinates local activities in the area. Since its inception, The Southern Communities Initiative has partnered with over 90 organizations. “The Southern Communities Initiative allows companies to make long-term commitments to various causes versus making one-time contributions to a select few — ensuring these investments help us get to the roots of what propels systemic racial injustice and create a lasting impact” stated on Smith’s LinkedIn.
Learn more about Smith’s work to achieve health equity and his dedication to communities of color..
