In ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, five justices on the Supreme Court have upended nearly 50 years of precedent, ignored legal standards, and threatened the fundamental right to privacy.
Indeed, Justice Thomas, in his concurrence, expressly called on the Court to reconsider its prior decisions guaranteeing marriage equality and access to contraception, among others.
This is not the way our system is supposed to work. The abandonment of five decades of precedent undermines this nation's respect for the Supreme Court, indeed for the Rule of Law generally.
In a poll issued before the Roe decision, confidence in the Supreme Court has fallen to 25%. This decision is another dangerous step in the unraveling of faith in our democratic institutions.
The right to reproductive autonomy is inextricably tied to the progress of women in this country. As the dissent in this decision makes clear, the dystopian reality that we feared is here. Without autonomy over their bodies, women lack full control over other aspects of their lives. A state can now even require that a woman die rather than risk the life of her fetus.
And the irony of this decision is not lost, coming a mere one day after the Court’s decision to overturn New York’s effort to protect lives by regulating the concealed carrying of handguns.
If you're feeling distressed and threatened...we join you. The threat to the rule of law in America continues to grow.
Now is the time to pay attention to the myriad ways you can make a difference. Ensure that people who care about the rule of law and our Constitution have the power to protect those rights from being dismantled. Be a leader in organizing your community’s response. Speak out. Write. Vote. Run for office. Use your legal skills to defend democracy in the courtroom. Join organizations fighting for our Constitution.
There is much work ahead for all of us.
The Board, Lawyers Defending American Democracy
