Reproductive rights are, yet again, under attack.
The recent new from the US Supreme Court has revealed the newest case to overturn Roe v. Wade. This news poses a very real and serious threat to the pro-choice movement as we know it.
As a reminder, the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legally protected reproductive rights by declaring that a woman has a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy in the first six months of her pregnancy. This is when the fetus is incapable of surviving outside the womb.
Earlier this month, Donald Trump’s right-wing Supreme Court announced that it will rule on a Mississippi law banning pre-viability abortions – in other words, all abortions. For context, Mississippi already bans most abortions after 15 weeks which is significantly before fetal viability. This news has thrilled anti-choice advocates who know the case will dismantle the protections of Roe once and for all. Simultaneously, it has shaken the pro-choice movement.
As a result of the heartbreaking passing of reproductive rights hero, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the US Supreme Court now has a 6-3 conservative super majority. All six justices have expressed hostile positions for the pro-choice movement, with Barrett being the most outspoken critic of abortion.
This is serious, our reproductive rights are very much at stake. For the first time in nearly 50 years, all states will be able to criminalize pre-viability abortion procedures. As a result, safe, legal abortion will be out of reach for tens of millions of people across the country. And those with the fewest resources will suffer the most.
This recent NPR article summarizes the distressing impact of the news,
“The consequences of a Roe reversal would be devastating,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. It would mean that “about 24 states” would have laws banning abortion completely, says the center’s litigation director, Julie Rikelman.
Yes, this is frightening and daunting for anyone who cares about reproductive rights or identifies with the pro-choice movement. But, we also know what needs to be done. Just like our foremothers did 50 years ago, we must fight back now!
We’ve been working for the past three decades to turn Illinois into a pro-choice state for this very reason. To protect Illinoisans, we need all hands on deck to repeal Illinois’ dangerous and cruel PNA law to make Illinois 100% pro-choice, no matter what the Supreme Court does to Roe.
To take action in support of #RepealPNA and to ensure Illinois is protected when Roe v. Wade falls, please click here.