Pro-Choice Caucus statement on Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The leaders of the Pro-Choice Caucus, U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), released the following joint statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade:
“We cannot overstate the devastating impact that this horrific decision will have on millions of people across this country. By disregarding fifty years of legal precedent, the U.S. Supreme Court has effectively stripped away from 36 million women the freedom to control their own bodies and have handed that power, instead, to the politicians in their states.
“Every situation and pregnancy is different, and everyone deserves the power and freedom to make their own decisions about their health, lives and future. Yet now, as a result of today’s decision, women in nearly half of the states across the U.S. face a terrifying legal landscape when trying to access the abortion care they need – one that will undoubtedly put the health and economic futures of millions of women at risk.
“For Republicans determined to control other people’s reproductive decisions, this decision is just the beginning of their quest to make it impossible for women to get an abortion in this country. For years, these extremists have been working to enact state laws designed to chip away at Americans’ right to access the abortion care they need. And now, as federal protections fall, these laws, which are already in place in states like Texas and Oklahoma, will soon become law in many other places as well as even more state legislatures move to ban and restrict access to abortion care within their borders.
“While such bans on abortion care affect everyone in a particular state, they disproportionately impact those who already face significant barriers to accessing the care they need – including young people, people of color, those living in rural areas and those working to make ends meet.
“As the leaders of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, we will never give up our fight to ensure that everyone in this country – regardless of where they live – has a right to make their own decisions about pregnancy and parenthood. We trust people – not politicians – to make their own decisions about their bodies, health, and lives.
“And we are more determined and committed than ever to continue doing everything we can – at every turn, and at every opportunity possible – to not only restore the protection that had been provided to us for more than 50 years under Roe, but to expand abortion access to ensure that everyone – no matter their income or zip code – has access to the care they need.”