FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 5, 2022

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jeanette.lenoir@mail.house.gov

c: 202.480.5737

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Robin Kelly (IL-02), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, issued the following statement on Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s draft majority opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that would overturn Roe v. Wade and deny millions of women the right to an abortion:

“Fifty years ago, Roe v. Wade established that every woman holds the right to control her own health care and make decisions pertaining to her own body. Rejecting this landmark ruling a half-century later amounts to nothing less than a premeditated assault on women’s reproductive rights and freedoms. Moreover, it is morally reprehensible. The existential consequences of this unjust decision will be felt especially by Black and brown women, low-income women, and rural communities who have already faced lifetimes of the traumatic impacts of systemic discrimination,” said the co-chairs. 

“Let us be clear: banning abortions will not stop them. Rather, it will only force desperate women and girls to seek life-threatening alternatives to unplanned pregnancies. When coupled with America’s shameful maternal mortality rate and incessant crisis of inequitable access to health care, the trail of tragedies on our nation’s horizon is inconceivable. Make no mistake, this is a shameful regressive node in American history, and this somber fact will remain painfully evident for years to come if we do not act and respond accordingly. It’s clear, America is at a pivotal junction in our history. We must protect the right to safe abortions for women in every state. Now, more than ever, it is vital the Senate takes the decisive action necessary to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act into law, because women’s lives are at stake.” 

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