Reproductive Equity Now Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Overturn of Roe v. Wade, End of Federal Abortion Protections
BOSTON (June 24, 2022) – Reproductive Equity Now Executive Director Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement today after the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and overturned federal constitutional abortion protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade.
“Abortion is still legal in Massachusetts. And if you are seeking abortion care, you are loved and supported.
But with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn federal abortion protections, the Court has given the green light to anti-abortion state legislatures across the country to strip people of their bodily autonomy and leave upwards of 64 million people of reproductive age without lifesaving health care. Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, LGBTQ+, low-income, rural, young, and disabled people will bear the greatest burdens of these extremist abortion bans, and for those who can’t afford to travel for care, abortion will become essentially obsolete. Right now, there are lots of unknowns about what this ruling will mean for clinics and care. But we do know that this decision—which is a culmination of a 50-year campaign by the far-right to assert white supremacy and restrict bodily autonomy—will result in a grave health care, economic, racial justice, and human rights crisis in the United States.
“We are angry, we are afraid, but we have been preparing for this day.
“In moments of crisis, Massachusetts has always risen to the challenge, and we will do so again. Our Commonwealth can pave the path forward for abortion access and must do all we can to provide care to anyone who wants it. But we have work to do. That’s why we put forward a 21-point plan to remove barriers to reproductive health care access in the state, to protect our providers offering abortion care and our patients seeking it, and to increase education and research efforts around reproductive equity and access. Even before this decision, Roe was the floor, not the ceiling. We must do all we can to not only guarantee the right to abortion, but also guarantee access to care for every person—regardless of income, zip code, race, immigration status, or age.
“Let us be clear: overturning Roe was not the anti-abortion movement’s end goal. They are coming for a federal abortion ban.They are coming for birth control, gender-affirming care, and LGBTQ+ marriage. We cannot sit idly by. We need every single person off the sidelines and in this movement with us. So please sign up to volunteer with Reproductive Equity Now, donate to your local abortion fund, and elect pro-reproductive equity candidates up and down the ballot. The battle for abortion rights will be fought and won in the states so invest your time, resources, and energy into state and local organizations in the toughest fights. We need you now more than ever.”
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