Supreme Court Dismantles Roe v. Wade Abortion Protections; Young People Among Most Impacted, Will Rise Up
On Friday, June 24, 2022 Justice Samuel Alito issued a 5-4 ruling declaring Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban constitutional, overturning Roe v. Wade in the process. Today’s decision did not merely uphold Mississippi’s law–which would have been devastating enough; it did away with the constitutional right to abortion altogether.
Simply put, this ruling is a devastating blow to abortion access in the country. It will be particularly harmful to young people, communities of color, and people with low income, many of whom – especially those in the South and Midwest – were already living with barriers to access that resemble a post-Roe future.
Currently, 26 states are set to partially or completely ban abortion, ranging from 15-weeks to six weeks, or as Oklahoma just demonstrated, from the moment of fertilization. Following the Supreme Court ruling, anti-abortion politicians will continue to feel emboldened to introduce, pass and enact abortion restrictions that harm our communities. As we process this decision, URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity is ready to fight for those we represent, who are most impacted by this decision and continue to promote access in the post-Roe future. Experts from URGE stated the following:
Kimberly Inez McGuire, Executive Director for URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
“This decision is a betrayal of our basic human rights and an insult to reproductive justice. My whole life, abortion has been legal and protected–though of if not fully accessible. Now, we stand to lose abortion access in half the country. Young people, Black women, folks living on the border, and queer and trans youth will be harmed most, as will people living across the South and Midwest. We are outraged, because this is outrageous. But we are fighting back and we are never giving up.”
Desireé Luckey (she/her/hers), Policy Director for URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
“After years of systemically disenfranchising Americans across the country, installing ideological extremists in the federal judiciary, and chipping away at the legal right to abortion, the Supreme Court delivered the final blow with today’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. We are deeply disappointed with this outcome because we know it will cause tremendous harm to young people across the country who are seeking abortion care. At this moment of crisis, it is critical to resource abortion funds, practical support funds, independent abortion providers, and advocates who are fighting back against the assault on our rights.”
Monica Edwards (she/her/hers), Federal Policy Manager for URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
“For decades and throughout history we’ve seen various forms of reproductive injustice, including bans on abortion, impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander, young people and LGBTQIA+ communities. Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is not only disregard of legal precedent but also an unfortunate continuance of that history. All people deserve to decide if, when, and how to parent children and to do so in safe and sustainable communities without stigma or barriers. Nothing less.”
