NORWICH — This Sunday marks what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. For reproductive rights advocates, the occasion is a call for action.

Saturday afternoon, a group of volunteers is set to gather in an event organized by Planned Parenthood in the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Upper Valley in Norwich. They’ll be assembling heating pads, socks and tea into what the organization has dubbed “abortion care kits.”

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed a constitutional access to abortion — abortion laws were sent to be decided state by state. Starkly different regulations quickly cropped up across the country.

While 13 states now have full abortion bans in place, this past November more than 75% of Vermonters voted yes on Article 22 to codify the right to an abortion in their state constitution.

But that doesn’t leave the fight finished, said Eileen Sullivan, Vermont communications director for Planned Parenthood of New England.

“Even though the vast majority of Americans support access to abortion, there’s still a lot of stigma tied to abortion care,” she said. “We want to show people who are receiving abortion care in our state’s health centers that they’re supported and that we stand behind them.”

At similar events across Vermont, Sullivan anticipates volunteers will assemble roughly 300 care kits that then will be distributed among the seven Planned Parenthood health centers in Vermont, including one in White River Junction.

“We’ve heard from a lot of patients after Roe was overturned about the impact that this decision has had on their lives,” Sullivan said. “For example, we heard from a mother in her 40s from the Midwest who needed an abortion drove through many states where abortion is illegal but she came to northern New England because this is where she felt the safest.”

Across the river, the New Hampshire Legislature is still in the trenches.

Hoping to follow Vermont, state Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-West Lebanon, is co-sponsoring H.B. 88, a bill that would codify the right to an abortion in the New Hampshire state constitution. The current law is silent on abortion up to 24 weeks, after which there is an abortion ban with exception for the life and safety of the mother, as well as fatal fetal diagnoses.

“When (Roe v. Wade) was overturned in the Supreme Court, the decision making around whether to make abortion legal went to the state,” Prentiss said. “HB 88 is taking Roe v. Wade and bringing it down to the New Hampshire level.”

The current bill still needs to be heard in committee. But Prentiss has tried with other legislation before.

“When we found out last year that this was going to be overturned, very quickly the Senate Democrats proposed legislation to codify Roe v. Wade in the state up to 24 weeks, on the very last night of the session,” Prentiss said.

It got punted down the road with a 12-12 vote, and then was shot down again along party lines when it was brought back up in the fall.

“If abortion is really okay in New Hampshire, then why didn’t we just codify this right then? We had two opportunities in the Senate to do it, and we didn’t,” Prentiss said. “That’s what signals to me that we have to protect this. Look at what Vermont did right across the border. They did that for their women and their families.”

Still, despite the passage of Article 22 in the neighboring state, there’s more work to be done in the Statehouse, said Sade Bolger, a regional organizer representing Planned Parenthood of New England. Bolger will be running the show in Norwich.

He emphasized legislation that would prohibit copay fees from insurance providers for those receiving an abortion, and that would protect doctors who perform abortions on patients from out of state.

“I hope folks feel a robust sense of their surrounding community,” Bolger said. “It’s very important for us that they feel seen and cared for.”

Volunteers can RSVP for the abortion care kit packing event by emailing eileen.sullivan@ppnne.org. The event will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Upper Valley in Norwich on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at fmize@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.

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