Some people in the U.S. are being denied the basic human right to make their own decisions about their health and their families, including abortion, simply because of their immigration status.
People who are undocumented and immigrants in mixed status families face even more barriers:
- Arbitrary checkpoints block them from traveling for care;
- A five-year ban for immigrants to enroll in health insurance programs denies them basic healthcare;
- Immigration detention centers deny abortion care and allow dangerous procedures and forced hysterectomies;
- Local law enforcement works closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to criminalize immigrants.
The freedom to care for ourselves and provide a better life for our families should not depend on our immigration status.
Abortion justice for immigrants can’t wait.
- States with thriving immigrant communities like Texas have used the pandemic to ban abortion altogether.
- When politicians target low-income people with abortion coverage bans and restrictions, immigrants often pay the price.
TELL SENATORS: LIFT the Bar on Health Care for Immigrants
Immigrants are barred for five years from enrolling in federal health insurance programs, denying them access to life-saving health care services, including abortion care. The LIFT the Bar Act would allow many immigrants to enroll in programs like Medicaid without waiting periods.
Speak Up
Resources
-
POLL: Voters favor a national law to protect the right to abortion and prevent elected officials from creating barriers to abortion care.
-
Abortion Justice Act Factsheet
-
POLL: Michigan voters favor support access to abortion, majorities favoring policies to remove barriers to abortion
This memo summarizes key findings from a survey among Michigan voters. The interviews were conducted online and via text-to-web from March 31 to April 6, 2023. The sample is demographically and geographically representative of the electorate and is consistent with the political dispositions of Michigan voters.
