Washington, D.C. — Patrick Gaspard, CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, released the following statement in response to a reported draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:
For nearly half a century, the Supreme Court has held that women have the right to make decisions about their own health, family, and future—including the right to abortion—under the U.S. Constitution. If accurate, the reports of an early draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and upholding Mississippi’s extreme abortion ban demonstrate that the Supreme Court may throw out fundamental protections our society depends on and that a majority of justices have affirmed repeatedly.
By pushing this fight to the states, five justices are putting women’s rights and dignity in the hands of MAGA Republicans who are currently unleashing an unprecedented assault on abortion rights in state legislatures across the country. Archaic abortion bans on the books in states such as Michigan would immediately make abortion illegal, which is why the repercussions from this apparent ruling would be profound and felt immediately.
While the rhetoric in the apparent draft decision is undoubtedly extreme—going so far as to deny the right to abortion for victims of rape or incest and opening the door to the criminalization of women for seeking needed health care—we must be clear that any erosion of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey undermines personal liberties guaranteed under our constitution, from the right to make decisions about one’s own health to the ability to marry the person you love. Any ruling weakening these precedents would have devastating consequences and would acutely burden those with the fewest resources.
This is a wake-up call for progressives from coast to coast. Republican extremists and this far-right court have not hidden who they are. They have made clear that they will not stop until they not only strip this fundamental right away but also enact a national ban on abortion. We have an opportunity and a moral obligation as progressives to galvanize the American people to resecure this right and to ensure we elect leaders from statehouses to the White House who will keep fighting until we have laws in place that make it so.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected] or 202.741.6292.