The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC) filed an amicus brief, urging the nation’s highest court on Sept. 20, to reject a call by the state of Mississippi to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow individual states to ban or end the legal right to abortion.
The amicus, or the “friend of the court” brief, represents 29 community and civil rights organizations, as well as bar associations, representing the interests of Asian American and Pacific Islander women in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Dobbs case is a challenge, brought by the independent and sole abortion care provider in Mississippi, represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, to the state’s 2018 ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
“Our brief focuses solely on the experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander women in the United States,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director ofNAPAWF.
“We know that abortion access is already difficult for AAPI women. The cultural stigma and shame that comes with talking about abortion, let alone getting one, is compounded with significant language and economic barriers that can make accessing abortion care a harrowing and terrifying experience,” said Choimorrow. “This is especially true for AAPI women who are over-represented in low-paying, service jobs and are more likely to not have health care coverage to begin with.”
In 2020, AAPI women experienced the highest rates of long-term unemployment among minority women since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overturning Roe v. Wade will effectively end legal abortion in at least 22 states, several of which are home to large and growing AAPI communities. For instance, the AAPI population in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina has grown 138%, 128%, and 154%, respectively, since 2000.
A full copy of the amicus brief is available at napawf.org/dobbsbrief.