When I talk about reproductive rights, people tend to think I mean abortion. But our rights to bodily autonomy go far beyond our right to decide whether to end a pregnancy.
Reproductive rights protect your freedom to decide whether or not you choose to become a parent. It also covers how to care for your body and access vital information and services to support your health and safety.
These rights have been affirmed through decades of legal decisions, policy protections, and public health standards. But they are being taken away one by one.
I’ve identified eight categories of reproductive rights we have fought for in America and listed efforts to erode or eliminate them.
1. The Right to Abortion
For nearly 50 years, the constitutional right to abortion was protected under Roe v. Wade. It meant that no matter where you lived, you had a right to decide with your doctor, not your governor.
But after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe in 2022, abortion has been banned or severely restricted. The Guttmacher Institute has created a breakdown of state abortion laws with a helpful interactive map.
2. The Right to Contraception
Birth control wasn’t always legal. In Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), the Supreme Court ruled that married couples had a right to use contraception. That right was expanded in Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972) to include unmarried people.
Now, access to contraception is under attack again. In Texas, the proposed legislation aims to allow healthcare providers to refuse to dispense contraceptives based on moral or religious objections, potentially limiting access to birth control for many individuals.
Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for preventive services coverage, including contraception, which could impact millions of Americans’ access to no-cost birth control.
3. The Right to Medically Accurate Sexual Health Information
Access to information is a right, especially when it affects your health. Programs like Title X and public school standards once ensured that teens learned accurate, age-appropriate information about sex, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Today, misinformation is spreading fast. States are restricting how gender, sexuality, and reproductive health are taught in schools. Meanwhile, federal funding for abstinence-only education, which has been proven ineffective, is on the rise. Critics argue that such programs don’t help teenagers protect their sexual health and have been linked to more unintended pregnancies and diseases.
4. The Right to Confidential Health Care for Minors
Minors have long been allowed to seek care for contraception, STIs, and abortion. In many states, they can do so without parental consent, especially when involving parents would put them at risk— but that’s changing.
New laws in states like Idaho and Tennessee criminalize helping minors get abortion care. These laws threaten not only young people but also doctors, support workers, and family members trying to help.
Idaho also has a new law that makes it a felony to help a minor cross state lines for abortion care without parental permission. UCLA researchers warn that these laws may deter trusted adults from offering help, even in cases of abuse or neglect
5. The Right to Bodily Autonomy and Medical Decision-Making
The foundation of all reproductive rights is the authority to control your own body. We’ve long held informed consent, medical privacy, and the patient/provider trust as sacred.
This respect for personal autonomy is eroding. Many states now intrude upon deeply personal medical choices, exemplified by abortion bans and restrictions on gender-affirming care.
Some state legislatures seek to compel patients to continue pregnancies against medical advice. For instance, in Kentucky, lawmakers proposed to define narrow circumstances under which abortions could be performed to save a pregnant person’s life. Critics, including Governor Andy Beshear, argued that such laws undermine physicians’ judgment and endanger pregnant people’s health.
6. The Right to Fertility Treatment and Family Planning
Assisted reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF) have helped millions build families. They offer hope to those who face infertility. Historically, these services were largely uncontroversial.
Recently, proposed personhood laws would define embryos as legal persons, potentially criminalizing standard IVF practices such as the creation, storage, and disposal of embryos. In February 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are “extrauterine children,” allowing wrongful death lawsuits for their destruction. In response, the University of Alabama at Birmingham paused IVF treatments.
In Alabama, legislators passed a law granting immunity to IVF providers, allowing them to continue. However, the ruling has sparked national debates and prompted other states to consider similar personhood measures.
7. The Right to Access Health Care Without Discrimination
Under the Affordable Care Act’s Section 1557, we are protected from discrimination in health care based on sex, which includes gender identity and pregnancy status. Yet, these protections face ongoing legal challenges.
Some providers still deny care to LGBTQ+ patients, and others claim religious exemptions to avoid offering services like contraception or abortion. For instance, in 2024, a federal appeals court ruled that two Texas doctors lacked standing to challenge the policy banning discrimination against transgender patients.
Additionally, in 2025, the Trump administration proposed a rule to prohibit ACA health plans from covering gender-affirming care, potentially blocking access to essential treatment.
8. The Right to Privacy in Reproductive Health Decisions
Personal health decisions should remain personal without the government in your exam room.
Landmark Supreme Court cases like Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972), and Roe v. Wade (1973) established a constitutional right to privacy, safeguarding our choices regarding contraception and abortion.
However, the 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe, removing federal protection for abortion rights and casting uncertainty on the legal foundations of privacy in reproductive health.
Justice Clarence Thomas, in his concurring opinion, suggested that the court should reconsider these precedents, which could jeopardize rights to contraception, same-sex relationships, and marriage equality.
Don’t Let This List Get Shorter
Reproductive rights form a foundation for healthcare access, reproduction, and bodily autonomy. These rights are profoundly personal and deeply political.
We can’t protect what we don’t name, so I pulled this list together. It’s not meant to be exhaustive. I am certain there will be other reproductive rights under fire.
Every time one of these rights is rolled back, we lose trust in our systems, clinic safety, and life freedom.
I hope you’ll stay informed, speak up, and stand with those fighting to take these rights to your state capitol.
