Although reproductive justice leaders have been sounding the alarm for years about massive federal legislative changes, much of the country was caught by surprise when the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to a safe and legal abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The ruling should have not been such a shocking surprise. Louisiana has passed 89 restrictive abortion laws since Roe, and there were only three abortion clinics in the entire state before the catastrophic decision.

Many people, particularly BIPOC and those who live in economically disadvantaged communities in Southern states like Louisiana, were already traveling hundreds of miles to receive reproductive health care before Roe was overturned.

Now that we are living in a post-Roe world, it is all the more imperative that we listen to grassroots leaders. That’s why Tides’ Corporate and Strategic Initiatives team hosted a reproductive justice convening earlier this month, to lift up the voices and insights from grassroots movement leaders. The event featured our partners Nakia Woods, director of the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, and co-executive directors of Lift Louisiana Lakeesha Harris and Michelle Erenberg.

These inspiring leaders shared what they know about reproductive justice and offered our corporate social impact partners advice about actionable steps they can take to protect reproductive freedom and help people across the United States regain access to this fundamental human right.

Here are four valuable insights we learned from their powerful and informative remarks.

1. Reproductive justice was born out of necessity.

2. Reproductive rights are intersectional.

3. Grassroots organizations need long-term support.

4. Supporting sex education is fundamental.

Read the full article about the takeaways from reproductive justice leaders by Tareya Palmer at Tides.