Abortions rights supporters around the world reacted with outrage to the leak on May 3 of a draft opinion of a Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling which safeguarded the right to abortion across the United States.

If the court were to end protections for abortion, at least 26 US states would be certain or very likely to outlaw abortion, experts say. But as many human rights advocates and activists have highlighted, outlawing abortion does not stop abortions from happening, it just makes them more dangerous for those seeking them.

Criminalizing abortion would most affect women and girls living in poverty and that belong to marginalized groups in the US, as is already the case in other parts of the world where 25 million women every year resort to dangerous and unsafe methods.

Safe and legal access to abortion for women, girls, and non-binary people around the world is also a central part of the mission to end extreme poverty and achieve the Global Goals — women already make up the majority of the world’s poor and the repercussions of unplanned pregnancies can be dire. These include preventing women from furthering their education and careers, with knock-on effects on their income. As Melinda French Gates has written: “When women have the power to determine their future and decide when they have children, it saves lives, promotes health, expands education, and creates prosperity.”

Since the document was leaked, people across the US have taken to the streets in their hundreds of thousands to decry the expected reversal of the landmark law.

But those shock waves did not stop at the US border. Pro-choice figures globally have warned that not only will the overturning of Roe v. Wade mean the end of abortion as a federal right in the US, it is a move that will be felt the world over as it will encourage anti-choice movements, particularly in developing countries. Activists — many of whom work in nations with restrictive abortion laws — warned that this will be a “catastrophe” for women in low- and middle-income countries and “send a really clear message” of inspiration to anti-choice groups.

Here’s how activists, allies, advocates, and people everywhere are using their voices to educate, empower, and support abortion rights as a crucial element of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

On May 12, a giant green banner  reading “Abortion = Liberty” was draped beneath the Statue of Liberty. The anonymous group responsible for the action, made up of “individuals who believe the human right to abortion is liberty,” released a statement that read: “Our fight does not end when Roe v. Wade is decided. It continues on until everyone can have the abortions they need whenever and wherever they need them.”

Read the full article about abortion rights by Tess Lowery at Global Citizen.