It’s hard for many of us, especially in Nevada, to truly grapple with the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision last summer in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. But that doesn’t change the reality that it has been one year since the Supreme Court struck down federal protections for abortion care. The damage that the decision has had on the health, safety and lives of people across the country is unimaginable.
It bears repeating that the situation we find ourselves in as a country is a deeply troubling sign of where our democracy and liberties stand. Right now, we are living in a world where anti-abortion judges and politicians have seized institutions that should protect us against these incursions into our lives and weaponized those institutions to cause harm, trauma and shame for people seeking routine health care.
It is not kind or reasonable to force a patient to bleed in a parking lot until their medical situation is so bad that it is deemed emergency care. It is not “protecting the health of women” to force someone to carry an unwanted pregnancy. Nor is it ethical or moral to force patients to travel hundreds of miles for abortion care when they’re facing life-threatening pregnancy complications.
Yet, this is the reality for tens of millions of people in this country. And in our state it’s worth mentioning that since the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case came down, abortion providers in Nevada have seen a stark increase in patients from out of state — a trend that is likely to continue as more state legislatures pass more bans on abortion care, each more punishing to patients and providers than the last.
This was the backdrop of Nevada’s 82nd legislative session, which has now come to a close. I think it’s appropriate to take a clear-eyed look at why we’re doubling down on the fight to protect and improve our protections for abortion and reproductive health care and expanding how we think about our reproductive lives and health in this state.
This session, Nevada legislators, and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro in particular, led the charge to add an amendment to add protections for reproductive freedom into the state constitution, which, after passing and being signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo, must pass in one more session before being sent to the ballot for consideration by Nevada voters in 2026. It also would cement protections for abortion providers who tend to out-of-state patients seeking care, and the patients themselves.
And the work didn’t stop there. Nevada lawmakers also passed and the governor signed into law a measure that requires the state Medicaid system to extend coverage for postpartum services, legislation that aims to make IUDs more available and affordable to patients in hospitals, and legislation that requires coverage for imaging and diagnostic imaging tests for breast cancer without requiring any deductible, copayment, coinsurance or any other form of cost-sharing. Legislators also passed a bill for protections for the right to contraception, but it was vetoed by Gov. Lombardo.
Every single one of these policies is an important piece of protecting a person’s fundamental right to decide what they do with their bodies, their health and their lives. But we are not going to be able to create the world we want — where freedom is guaranteed to everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us — in one legislative session.
As we face increased opposition to abortion rights in state legislatures across the country, it is important to remember that just one year ago, nearly 50 years of precedent was reversed because we let anti-abortion politicians and judges seize political power, despite their beliefs being in a very clear minority. This will be a decadeslong, nationwide effort to build power at every level of government to ensure our laws reflect the will of the people and our courts protect our rights and freedoms.
Presently, many Nevadans have the luxury of ignoring the debate around abortion rights and reproductive health care. But they should know that when SJR7, the resolution to amend the state constitution to include reproductive freedom as a fundamental right was heard, anti-abortion legislators made clear that their opposition to the amendment was because it would make it nearly impossible to amend abortion laws to be more restrictive in the future — just like we’re seeing in neighboring states such as Idaho and Utah.
We owe it to ourselves and to our neighbors to pass constitutional protections for all aspects of reproductive health and freedom now. Because, as we reflect on the one-year anniversary of the loss of federal protections for our right to abortion, we know what happens when we take our rights for granted.
Lindsey Harmon is the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, an organization that advocates and educates on behalf of issues of abortion rights and sexual and reproductive health care in Nevada.
