Center for Reproductive Rights
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Team,
Today is the 49th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's
decision in the landmark case, Roe v. Wade, which established
constitutional protections for abortion rights in the United States.
But almost half a century after Roe was decided, the right to abortion
is more at risk than ever before.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court denied a request to allow our case
against Texas's unconstitutional abortion ban to proceed in district
court after months of delay. The case challenges S.B. 8, a ban on
abortion after just six weeks of pregnancy, and it's likely the ban
will remain in effect for the foreseeable future, as the Supreme Court
continues to do nothing to stop it.
I wanted you to see my full statement below on today's
anniversary and where we stand in the fight for reproductive rights
for all.
- Nancy
Statement from Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for
Reproductive Rights
Today marks 49 years since the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the
constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade-the right to
make a person's most basic decisions about family and
parenthood, free of government interference. Since then, the Court has
reaffirmed that right many times, including as recently as 2020. Yet,
Roe is more at risk now than ever, and it's possible this
anniversary could be its last.
The Supreme Court has allowed Roe to become a dead letter in Texas,
the second largest state in the country. For almost five months now,
Texans have been denied this constitutional right. Of equally grave
concern, the state of Mississippi has asked the Supreme Court to
overturn Roe completely, and it could act as soon as this spring, in
one of the most consequential abortion rights cases in decades. It
seems Roe is just barely hanging on by a thread.
Right now, Texas provides a startling preview of the chaos and panic
that will happen across large swaths of the nation if we lose the
protections of Roe. Half of the states are likely to move to ban
abortion. People would need to drive as far as 1,000 miles round-trip
to find abortion services. Those without the means to do so will be
forced to continue their pregnancies, or will seek to end their
pregnancies themselves.
These blatant attacks on Roe v. Wade are not supported by a strong
majority of Americans. That is evident in polls and in the lived
experiences of women. One in four women has made the decision that
having an abortion is the right choice for her. For two generations,
people have relied on the right to abortion to shape their lives and
futures. Much of the progress that women have made towards gender
equality in the last 49 years was a direct result of access to legal
abortion.
The United States stands in stark contrast to the rest of the world,
where we've seen a trend of liberalizing abortion laws over the
last 25 years. Most recently, in September 2021, Mexico's
Supreme Court ruled to decriminalize abortion. South Korea lifted its
68-year-old abortion ban earlier last year. In 2018, the people of
Ireland overwhelmingly voted to repeal the country's
constitutional ban on abortion. The United States is an outlier,
moving down a dangerous and backward path of regression of rights
protections.
Whether or not this is Roe's last anniversary, Congress must
pass a federal law protecting the right to abortion nationwide. The
Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA) will do just that. This
bill has already passed the House and now all eyes are on the Senate.
We cannot wait any longer to take this next step-we have already
waited too long.
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reproductiverights.org
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The Center for Reproductive Rights uses the power of law to advance
reproductive rights as fundamental human rights around the world.
© Center for Reproductive Rights
Center for Reproductive Rights
199 Water St.
New York, NY 10038
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