Salem, Ore — Today, June 24, 2026, marks the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision in Dobbs v. Jackson. The landmark ruling overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, ending the federal “right to abortion” and returning the issue to the people through their elected representatives.
The U.S. Supreme Court released its long-awaited decision on June 24, 2022, declaring that Roe (1973) and Casey (1992) had been wrongly decided. In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote: “We therefore hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Roe and Casey must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
“Today, our team at Oregon Right to Life joins pro-life advocates across the country in celebrating the fourth anniversary of the overturning of Roe and Casey,” Oregon Right to Life executive director Lois Anderson said. “Dobbs was a victory that caught many pro-life advocates by surprise, even though we had been praying, working, and hoping for it for decades. Suddenly, Roe v. Wade was no more, and immediately states began passing laws protecting the unborn.”
18 states quickly moved to either prohibit all abortions or enact limits based on gestational age in the months following Dobbs. Today, 13 U.S. states have enacted legislation banning nearly all abortions, and 28 other states have limits based on gestational age (though 21 of those states only ban abortion after about 18 weeks gestation or later).
“Of course, as we celebrate the anniversary of this monumental pro-life victory, we recognize that there is still so much work to be done,” Anderson said. “While many states immediately moved to do the right thing and protect the unborn after Roe was overturned, Oregon did the opposite and doubled down. Abortion is still legal on-demand in our state up to the moment of birth, late-term abortions are on the rise, and the prevalence of chemical abortion continues to put women at risk in addition to ending innocent unborn lives.”
“The truth is, the end of Roe was not the end of the pro-life movement, but a new beginning: an opportunity for further progress in the struggle for the right to life for every human being,” she said. “Here at Oregon Right to Life, we’re determined never to back down from working toward legal protections for the unborn, supporting a network of life-affirming resources for moms and families, and educating the public about the reality of abortion and the humanity of the unborn.”
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Oregon Right to Life believes in the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death.
Abortion ends the life of a genetically distinct, growing human being. We oppose abortion at any point of gestation. In rare cases, a mother may have a life threatening condition in which medical procedures intended to treat the condition of the mother may result in the unintended death of her preborn baby. At the same time, ORTL recognizes that modern medical practice has and will continue to increase the ability to save both the life of the mother and the baby. Read this and all our position statements here.
