Rights at Risk: Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade will
roll back progress for many in Deep South
[link removed]
Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO | Read the full piece here
[link removed]
Friend,
Even though a draft opinion was leaked a few weeks ago, the U.S.
Supreme Court's 6-3 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned
Parenthood v. Casey is no less disgraceful - one that should
deeply alarm Americans who care about our most fundamental rights.
The court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health
Organization will allow states to ban abortion outright or enforce
harmful restrictions on access to abortion services, eliminating the
right to choose for countless people across the country even in cases
of rape, incest or to save the life or health of the pregnant
person.
In 13 states
[link removed]
, mostly in the South and Midwest, legislators have already passed
repressive "trigger laws" that ban or significantly
restrict abortion accessibility with immediate effect. Many of these
state laws criminalize people seeking reproductive care, some
targeting medical professionals servicing them or private parties who
lend aid. In Arkansas and Oklahoma, for example, a physician will face
up to 10 years in prison. In Tennessee, abortions will be prohibited
even in cases of rape.
Altogether, about half the states
[link removed]
have passed some form of abortion ban in recent years, and they will
now have the leeway to put such laws into effect.
This decision is particularly harmful for people living in poverty,
who already have limited to no access to quality medical care and lack
the resources to travel to another state for necessary medical
procedures.??
Mississippi, where the Dobbs case originated, has the highest child
poverty rate among all states and one of the highest maternal
mortality rates in the country. The state also has the worst racial
disparities in health care
[link removed]
. The failure of Mississippi legislators to expand postpartum Medicaid
coverage for new mothers, as they have sought to restrict abortion
access, is reprehensible.
As we know, this decision to overturn the rights acknowledged in Roe
v. Wade, a precedent that has been in place for almost 50 years, is
the culmination of a powerful, concerted movement to ensure that
politicians control women's bodies.?It should be noted
that some senators who voted to confirm the three justices nominated
by former President Trump - Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and
Amy Coney Barrett - now say they were misled during the
confirmation process.
When the draft Dobbs decision was leaked earlier, Alaska Sen. Lisa
Murkowksi said
[link removed]
the ruling would be "completely inconsistent with what Justice
Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our
meetings in my office."
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin also tweeted
[link removed]
that he was "alarmed" that Gorsuch and Kavanaugh decided
against Roe v.Wade after testifying under oath that it was settled
legal precedent.
How could any senator who voted in favor of these justices have been
so naïve? Trump said
[link removed]
during his campaign that he would nominate justices who could be
certain to overturn Roe.
Endangers fundamental rights broadly
The court's radical decision in Dobbs will have serious,
long-term consequences for individuals and their families. This
terrible ruling also endangers other fundamental rights, putting many
other communities at risk. The constitutional rights in jeopardy
include the right to contraception and equal rights for the LGBTQ+
community.
We welcome Attorney General Merrick Garland's strong,
unequivocal statement
[link removed]
today that the First Amendment protects an individual's right to inform and counsel others on reproductive care available in other states, that the Department of Justice will enforce federal laws against violence directed against clinics, and that federal agencies will continue to provide reproductive health services to the extent authorized by federal law.
There have been significant moments in the Supreme Court's history when it has issued shameful decisions that deny equal protection under the law to an entire group of people, and this is one of those moments.
The question that should concern all of us now is: How far will this court go to force an extreme-right agenda on the American people?
READ MORE: [link removed]
In solidarity,
Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO
The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.
Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for
justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?
DONATE
[link removed]
--
Unsubscribe [link removed] | Privacy Policy [link removed] | Contact Us [link removed]
Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334.956.8200 // splcenter.org
[link removed]
Copyright 2022
