Lawmakers in states ​such as Texas and South Carolina are pushing to reclassify abortion as homicide​, escalating efforts by anti-abortion ​fanatics to advance policies that would subject women to criminal investigation, arrest, and prosecution for abortion.

Across the United States, abortion bans have already severely restricted access to reproductive healthcare and created a climate of legal fear for patients and providers. Now, a growing ​movement is pushing further—promoting legal theories and legislative approaches that could expand criminal liability beyond providers and directly expose women to prosecution for abortion. These efforts represent a dangerous escalation in the criminalization of private medical decisions.

Women should not face arrest, interrogation, or imprisonment for decisions about their own bodies. The attempt to impose criminal penalties on women for abortion is not about public health or safety—it is about punishment and control.

“​The fanatical arm of the anti-choice movement is attempting to cross a line that should never be crossed in a free society,” said ​Sonia Ossorio, executive director of Women’s Justice NOW. “​Rational thinking people must draw a line in the sand and demand that abortion cannot be re-classified as homicide, and that women should not face arrest, interrogation, or imprisonment for ending an unwanted pregnancy.” 

Texas​, Louisiana and other states, have advanced increasingly severe abortion bans and ​”fetal personhood” legal frameworks​ that could be used to justify making women serious criminals over abortion. Legal scholars and public health experts consistently warn that expanding criminal enforcement will not eliminate abortion, but will instead​ delay essential medical care, and deepen existing inequities in access to healthcare. 

Women’s Justice NOW calls on lawmakers at every level of government to reject any attempt to criminalize abortion for women and to instead focus on policies that protect health, expand access to reproductive healthcare, and respect bodily autonomy.

The organization reaffirms its commitment to defending women’s rights, reproductive freedom, and the fundamental principle that healthcare decisions belong to women—not the government.