By Anika Islam
In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, returning the power to regulate abortion to individual states. This decision triggered sweeping abortion restrictions across the country, significantly limiting reproductive healthcare access. While abortion restrictions affect many marginalized groups, autistic individuals face unique barriers that make these restrictions especially damaging. Understanding how autism, healthcare access, reproductive rights, and disability rights intersect is crucial to ensuing autonomy and equitable care for this community.
Autistic people already encounter disproportionate barriers to reproductive healthcare. Medical discrimination, lack of accessible providers, and paternalistic attitudes often lead to inadequate or coercive care. By the overturning of Roe v. Wade enables states to enforce restrictive laws that disproportionately harm disabled individuals who may struggle to travel across state lines for care or navigate complex legal and medical systems.
Legal guardianship strips disabled people of their ability to make reproductive decisions. In states that ban abortion, guardians or state-appointed decision-makers can force a disabled person to carry a pregnancy to term against their wishes (Autistic Self Advocacy Network, 2022). Given the history of forced sterilizations and reproductive coercion targeting disabled people, this decision reopens the door to severe violations of bodily autonomy.
The loss of abortion rights will uniquely harm disabled people, who are more likely to need abortion access due to medical risks and systemic inequities. For example, Robin Wilson-Beattie, a disabled reproductive health educator, initially encountered resistance from doctors uncomfortable with her paralysis. It forced her to seek care at a hospital, delaying the procedure and worsening her distress (Rajkumar, 2022).
Additionally, disabled people experience a heightened risk of sexual assault, making access to abortion even more critical. A Bureau of Justice Statistics survey found that disabled people experience sexual assault at over three times more likely than nondisabled people, with the likelihood increasing for those with multiple disabilities (Rajkumar, 2022). Autistic individuals particularly those who are LGBTQ+ face significant risks. They encounter discrimination in healthcare settings, experience higher rates of sexual violence and struggle to find providers who respect their autonomy. These overlapping vulnerabilities make reproductive healthcare access a pressing concern for this population.
Emily Ladau, a disability activist, emphasized that the rollback of reproductive rights is part of a larger pattern of stripping disabled people of their bodily autonomy. She noted that disabled individuals have long been denied control over their own healthcare decisions, and the loss of abortion rights could be a stepping stone for further civil rights erosions (Rajkumar, 2022).
The Dobbs decision represents more than the revocation of abortion rights, it directly attacks the rights of marginalized communities, including autistic people. If the Court continues dismantling privacy protections, disabled individuals will face more barriers to autonomy in all aspects of healthcare. Advocates, legal scholars, and disabled activists must prepare for an uphill battle to defend these rights in the courts, legislatures, and public discourse. The fight for reproductive justice and bodily autonomy is inseparable from the struggle for disability rights. Ensuring accessible, equitable healthcare for autistic individuals requires resisting these harmful restrictions and advocating for policies that protect their rights.
About the Author
Anika Islam is a public health student at Drexel University, pursuing a BS in Public Health and an MPH in Epidemiology. She works as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, supporting initiatives for transition-aged autistic youth through policy and advocacy efforts. Anika also serves as an Infection Prevention Observer at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, contributing to infection control. Committed to equity, she advocates for marginalized communities in healthcare and policy.