“We have an obligation to unwind this decision made by a corrupt Supreme Court so that we can go back to protecting the lives and health care of women and Black women in this country,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove says
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. The court’s decision granted state governments the power to enforce their own abortion laws.
While many were shocked by the court’s ruling, GOP leaders saw the decision as an opportunity to propose strict abortion bans. So far, 14 states have enacted abortion bans, and 12 other states are working on anti-abortion legislation.
In April, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Heartbeat Protection Act, which prohibited abortions after six weeks of gestation. Weeks prior, North Republican Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum had signed a similar bill into law.
Kara Gross, legislative director for the ACLU, has described the ban in Florida as “extreme” because it restricts abortion care “before many people even know that they are pregnant.”
“This will disproportionately harm Black and brown individuals, people who have fewer resources, and those who live in more rural communities,” she added.
One year after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts has introduced the Abortion Justice Act to protect Black and brown women from anti-abortion laws nationwide.
“[The] Supreme Court overturned the will of the people and obliterated the right to abortion care across our nation,” Pressley said.
Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California also spoke out against tough restrictions being placed on women’s right to choose.
“Given the likelihood that so many women, Black women, are likely to be raped, or to have a complicated pregnancy, or need an abortion in order to stay alive, it seems terribly unjust that that same woman can now be criminalized,” she said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the Dobbs decision in a press conference last week.
Jeffries told reporters that, “Democrats believe in a woman’s freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions” and he wants to ensure the “framework that was in existence under Roe v Wade is restored.”
“Republicans want to criminalize abortion care and impose a nationwide ban and we’re going to stop that from happening,” he said.
Alencia Johnson, former public engagement director at Planned Parenthood, previously told theGrio, that these bans harm Black women.
“The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, and yet, Black women continue to die at higher rates in childbirth than any other race,” said Johnson, who is founder and Chief Impact Officer of the social impact agency, 1063 West Broad.
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