Statement from Black Reproductive Justice organizations around the country.
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe and Casey, eliminating the constitutional guarantee to access legal abortion. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda; Linda Goler Blount, MPH, president & CEO, Black Women’s Health Imperative; Kelly Davis, executive director, New Voices for Reproductive Justice in Pennsylvania and Ohio; Janette Robinson Flint, executive director Black Women for Wellness; Dázon Dixon Diallo, SisterLove founder and president; Cherisse Scott, CEO and founder of SisterReach; Dr. Krystal Redman, executive director, SPARK Reproductive Justice Now! Inc.; Marsha Jones, executive director, The Afiya Center; and Deon Haywood, executive director, Women with a Vision issued the following statement in response:
“Overturning the historic Roe decision after 50 years of legal precedent impacts women’s and birthing people’s human and civil rights. The Supreme Court’s ruling declares open season on women and birthing people’s rights and lives. While we call on Congress and the Biden administration to take immediate action to uphold the Constitution, we will not depend on governing bodies to protect our rights.
“That’s because, as Black women and gender expansive people, we are under attack at every turn, with neither the courts or Congress coming to our aid. Our voting rights have been eviscerated. Our right to raise our families without fear is nonexistent. Now our hard-fought right to bodily autonomy has been stripped from us. We shoulder all the burdens of citizenship without the most basic benefits.
“We need to trust Black women and birthing people to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families. We will not stop until Reproductive Justice is the law of the land. And we will work to ensure Black women and birthing people access the reproductive health care they need — including abortion.”
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