U.S.
Supreme Court Decision in Whole Woman’s Health v.
Hellerstedt
This week the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a woman’s
constitutional right to make her own decisions about her
health, family and future no matter where she lives. By
striking down the Texas law, HB2, the Court kept current
clinics open in Texas, and set a precedent so that more
clinics can open or reopen in the future.
“This is a win not just for women in Texas, but for women
across the country,” stated Marcela Howell, founder and
executive director for
In Our
Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice
Agenda.
“This decision sends a clear message to politicians set
on denying women’s constitutional right to an abortion that
these baseless and deceptive laws are unacceptable.”
Black women, young women, immigrant women and low-income
women in Texas stand to benefit the most from this
decision. The 725,000 black women of reproductive age in
Texas, plus the 12.5 million black women in the other 20+
states with similar sham laws, will potentially be saved
from higher costs, longer delays and extra steps when
seeking an abortion thanks to the SCOTUS action.
While the fight to protect women’s access to abortion
services is far from over, today’s decision put politicians
on notice that “when it comes to abortion, we trust black
women, all women, to make the important personal decisions
that are best for themselves and their families,” added
Howell. “This is the first step in ensuring that
politicians stop playing politics with women’s lives.”
No one can fully know the circumstances of a woman facing a
decision to end a pregnancy, and no one else can make that
decision for her. Based on a national
survey
conducted by In Our Own Voice, an overwhelming
majority (80 percent) of black women and men agree when
asked “regardless of how I personally feel about abortion, I
believe it should remain legal and women should be able to
get safe abortions.”
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive
Justice Agenda is a national organization that seeks to
highlight the voices of Black women at the national and
state levels, on the issues of abortion rights and access,
contraceptive equity and comprehensive sex education.
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