Statement On Supreme Court Action Allowing SB8 To Stay In Effect
Last night, the United States Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal to block enforcement of an extremist and unconstitutional anti-abortion law in Texas that effectively bans abortion care after six weeks.
The following is a statement of Rebecca Hart-Holder, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts on that ruling. NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts is the state’s leading advocacy organization to protect and expand reproductive freedom in the Commonwealth.
“The Texas abortion ban is a calculated, insidious law designed by the Texas legislature to strip away the rights of pregnant people and get around any legal challenges to it. Last night’s decision by the Court — a Court captured by the anti-choice movement — was a green light for extremist state legislatures across the country to pass even more draconian anti-choice, anti-women laws. We have seen this coming for years. This has never been some far-off danger, it is an imminent threat.
The path forward is clear. Abortion access is and always has been a state battle. In spite of a clear and present danger to our bodily autonomy for decades, Congress has failed to act. This is a state-by-state, voter-by-voter battle to flip anti-choice seats so that anti-choice laws are overridden and overturned. The good news is we have the vast majority of people on our side who believe in and will stand up for reproductive freedom and gender equality. Massachusetts is a national model and will be a national leader to bring this grassroots fight in New England and across the country.
Unfortunately, Massachusetts is also missing one thing that would be a huge asset to protecting women’s rights and reproductive freedom – leadership from our Governor. Charlie Baker’s support for Senator Susan Collins is unforgivable, particularly after Senator Collins’ vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh has led us directly to this point. The Governor’s veto of the ROE Act, which expanded abortion access in Massachusetts, was a travesty. In this urgent moment, we need a leader who will proudly stand for women’s rights and reproductive freedom here and across the country, and instead Charlie Baker has stood in the way. It’s beyond disappointing.”
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Contact:
Jon Latino
jon@prochoicemass.org
978-870-9388