Statement: HECHO on Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs. V Jackson Women’s Health Organization

This morning, the United States Supreme Court overlooked 50 years of precedent and overturned the federal right to abortion underlined in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Although last month’s leaked decision confirmed the reality of today’s ruling, the shock of this decision is no less felt today among women and their families, particularly those in low-income and marginalized communities. HECHO supports the rights of women and people to make decisions about their own bodies and recognizes that abortion is a private personal decision that should be left to individuals and their health care providers.

Women of color already face greater difficulty in accessing adequate reproductive care and healthcare overall. The Black maternal mortality rate is triple that of White women, and the lack of fully comprehensive reproductive services that include safe abortion access will likely worsen this inequity.

Concurring opinions outside of the majority opinion call for a reevaluation of other substantive due process precedents that have established the right to privacy, same-sex marriage, and more, opening the door to similar reversals to freedoms currently held by women and LGBTQ Americans. HECHO firmly stands in opposition to stripping more Americans of their rights, and we urge Congress to act on permanent legislative solutions to these concerns.