Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade
by Zefferin LLamas
Roe v. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court this past Friday, June 24, meaning the right to abortion is no longer protected by the United States Federal Government, a reality that the US has not experienced for 50 years.
Whether or not you have abortion access now depends on which state you call home. This will force people living in states that deny abortion access to seek abortion in states that continue to protect reproductive freedoms. California is one of those states. As we discussed with Planned Parenthood in a recent Meet the Community, this will place a burden on California’s healthcare system.
Before this past Friday, Planned Parenthood provided abortion care to almost 50,000 out-of-state patients. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, this number is expected to rise to about 1,400,000, representing a 2800% increase in demand on Planned Parenthood’s resources.
So, even though California continues to protect access to abortion, we will all still be negatively affected by the overturning of Roe. Attacks on reproductive freedoms represent a threat not only to people who can become pregnant, it also represents a threat to other civil liberties that were formerly denied to minorities, e.g., same-sex marriage, same-sex consensual sex and contraception access. Be that as it may, allow us to acknowledge some silver lining as well as a path toward regaining these rights that have been sullied by toxic religious fervor.
Some good news
California lawmakers are expected to place a constitutional amendment to explicitly protect abortion on the ballot for this November’s elections. If passed, abortion rights would be protected by the CA Constitution. So, please vote this November.
Action
BANS OFF OUR BODIES is a national campaign led by Planned Parenthood and participating coalition members from across the country. This is an excellent resource for those who wish to participate in the fight to secure reproductive freedoms again in this country. The next big step for pro-abortion states is to protect abortion in state constitutions.
Comentários