Bans Off Our Bodies

In 2021, nearly 600 abortion restrictions were introduced and 100 enacted in states across the U.S. — more abortion restrictions in any one year since 1973, when Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade protected the federal right to abortion.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court was hearing an abortion rights case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which eventually resulted in the court taking away the constitutional right to abortion when it overturned Roe v. Wade. Nearly half of the women of reproductive age in the U.S. — more than 36 million women, and even more people who can become pregnant — now face the potential loss of access to abortion.

While Americans overwhelmingly support access to safe and legal abortion, they didn’t believe that their constitutional right to abortion was at such grave risk. They’re now more motivated to stand up for their rights. We knew Planned Parenthood supporters, abortion rights supporters, coalition partners, corporate partners, the arts and entertainment industry, and others needed a rallying cry to get behind — to show their opposition to abortion restrictions and build a bigger platform for securing, protecting, and expanding abortion access. That cry is “Bans Off Our Bodies.”

Our Bans Off Our Bodies (or Basta De Controlarnos in Spanish) campaign evolved to be even more inclusive and decidedly movement-based. Bans Off Our Bodies captures the zeitgeist of the moment with wide adoption of our language across the country, throughout the media, at events and rallies, in fashion, art, and politics, and on t-shirts, protest signs, baked goods, and even nail art.

Since we launched Bans Off Our Bodies in the fall of 2021, we have seen this campaign grow and continue to resonate. When Roe v. Wade fell in June of 2022, people had the language they needed to show up for abortion rights and for one another with a defiant but hopeful posture thanks to Bans Off Our Bodies.