Staff Reports
Abortion clinics that wish to unionize have increased in number since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as they are now subject to greater oversight and restrictions by state governments. At least eight abortion-related organizations, four of which are Planned Parenthood affiliates, have submitted unionization petitions since last summer, joining the inter-industry union movement.
The drive for unionization in the abortion industry, according to conservative commentators, is an indication of the industry's own mistreatment of workers and devaluation of human life. SBA Pro-Life America's vice president of communications, E.V. Osment, criticized the industry for its poor treatment of its own personnel and for regarding "human life in the womb as medical waste."
Abortion clinics have been further strained as a result of the increase in the number of individuals seeking abortions in states that have restricted the procedure; this has increased the demand for unionization. According to National Network of Abortion Funds human resources employee and union member Brittany Conner, employees hold the belief that every worker is entitled to the safeguards provided by a labor union.
The rise in California abortions occurred prior to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and legislation such as Texas' SB 8 played a role in that expansion. The period from 2020 to 2023 witnessed a 17% surge in abortions in California, as reported by the Guttmacher Institute. Already, Guttmacher and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest employees have cast unionization ballots.
A drive for unionization in the abortion industry follows comparable initiatives taken by healthcare professionals and other sectors. In the United States, the largest strike in the history of the healthcare industry was recently initiated by more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees. Concurrently, since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, notices for seeking new contracts have increased among unionized healthcare workers. Additionally, employees of UPS, Hollywood writers, and automakers have sought new contracts or gone on strike.
The unionization efforts within the abortion industry are regarded by conservatives as an extension of a broader labor movement that prioritizes improved working conditions and compensation. Critics, on the other hand, contend that these endeavors merely legitimize and normalize the practice of abortion, which they perceive as the unjustifiable termination of human life.
