In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court handed abortion rights advocates a powerful win in the decades-long battle over a woman’s right to choose. By striking down a Louisiana law that would have severely limited access to abortion, SCOTUS upheld its own precedent, in the first major challenge to reproductive freedom since Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh took the bench.
Click here to watch a video statement from The Foundation’s President & CEO, Ana Oliveira.
We, at The New York Women’s Foundation, believe women are the authors of their own lives, and that our autonomy … our right to choose and shape our own families is a fundamental right. So we are encouraged by the Court’s decision—and what that can ultimately portend for gender and economic justice.
The Louisiana law was nearly identical to a Texas law struck down by SCOTUS four years ago as unconstitutional. In both cases, providers were required to have privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic, which would have shut down all but one provider.
We know the fight is far from over. There are onerous laws on the books across dozens of states—undermining women’s health and the right to abortion afforded by Roe v. Wade 47 years ago, despite the fact that 3/4 of Americans consistently support Roe in poll after poll.
We’re living at a time when it’s so important to be engaged, to understand policies, and to advocate for our rights. So let’s move together … organize … and keep making our voices heard. We need to push Congress to codify our right to choose once and for all. And we must use our votes to elect federal, state and local candidates who are on the right side of justice.