On the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the number of US abortion providers has fallen to its lowest level in three decades, a trend many physicians ascribe to a hostile political climate, the surge of hospital mergers and a lack of enthusiasm for teaching the procedure at most medical schools.

This info was in a new survey released on the eve of today’s anniversary by the Alan Guttmacher Institute. The Institute also found, in this age of legalized abortion, that 87 percent of the counties in the United States do not have a single abortion provider! And things will likely get worse with most centers of political power in the US currently occupied by anti-choice hardliners.

Fortunately, there are numerous organizations taking effective action to help preserve and expand women’s right to reproductive choice. Joining one of them today would be a good way to mark the anniversary’s importance. Click here for a listing of links to groups as well as select Nation articles, essays and columns, including Katha Pollitt and Jennifer Baumgardner’s Open Letter About Contraception.