San Francisco – The recently released draft Supreme Court opinion, if it stands as the court’s final ruling, would effectively end the protection of an individual’s right to choose as a federally guaranteed right under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. If this stands as the final ruling, which will be issued in June, people seeking the right to end their pregnancy would lose that right in nearly half the states in the U.S. (California is not one of those states). Moreover, if the ruling is issued, and all signs say that it will be, some states are attempting through various legislative actions to prohibit residents from seeking pregnancy terminations in states outside of their residency—a truly jaw-dropping overreach.
As a healthcare organization, HealthRIGHT 360 stands in strong and vehement opposition to this ruling! We view this as a deep and stunning insertion of the state into a person’s individual right to privacy and to make decisions regarding their health in the fullest sense of that term.
If it stands, it overturns over 50 years of judicial precedent. Numerous studies have proven that such action will have the most severe impact on low-income people and people of color, Black people in particular – who suffer the highest rate of pregnancy-related mortality.
HealthRIGHT 360 will join in protest with all those who seek reproductive rights and health justice.
If the state truly cared about children, it would support universal childcare and preschool, paid family leave, a universal guarantee of healthcare, dental care, housing, and a clean environment. It would care for the lives of all children through their development, be they poor, Black, LGBTQI, immigrant. Those would be federal priorities. But they most definitely are not.
We will continue to raise our voices and our fists until they are.
Onward!
