Acknowledging Impact of the Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade

NASPA recognizes that today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will have significant consequences on the lives of our students, our members, and the communities in which they reside, with a disproportionate ripple effect on marginalized communities across the United States. NASPA also acknowledges the implications this decision has for the future of higher education equity. 

At the front line of case management, student health, women and gender and queer resource centers, Title IX offices, counseling centers, and access accommodations offices, the higher education professionals who comprise NASPA’s membership are particularly affected by this morning’s decision. We know that this ruling means that many student affairs professionals will spend the next few days, weeks, and months helping students understand their rights based on the laws in their respective states.  

In addition to the impact to our work, this is also a decision with personal ramifications. The extended hours and emotional labor that go into supporting our students take a toll on us as professionals. This is especially true as we simultaneously process our own feelings about the Court’s willingness to undo settled precedent and the potential future challenges that this sets up to legal protections for other communities.  

NASPA is committed to act.
NASPA will continue to advocate for racial and gender equity and an end to gender-based discrimination and violence. Women and individuals with female assigned reproductive systems deserve a safe environment in which to live, work, and learn, and NASPA remains committed to this ideal. 

• NASPA staff are currently analyzing the newly released, proposed Title IX regulations, which include protections for pregnant and parenting students. 

• NASPA is engaged in a research project to better understand how the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is being experienced by student affairs professionals across the country and how best to prepare institutions to meet the needs of students moving forward. 

• NASPA staff will continue to monitor the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court reversal and educate not only our members, but also legislators and policymakers at both the state and federal level about how this decision affects students. We will also provide resources on an ongoing basis, recognizing that the effects of this decision will continue to unfold as we move forward.