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Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Releases Statement on the 48th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
For Immediate Release: Friday, January 22, 2021
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — On the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue issued the following statement:
“We celebrate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade at a pivotal moment in the fight for reproductive freedom. The landmark decision and the legal right to abortion are on the line like never before, thanks to the efforts of anti-choice state lawmakers trying to chip away at abortion access at every turn, and Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell’s work to stack the courts with judges hostile to our fundamental rights.
We must work to ensure that reproductive freedom is a reality for every body– no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make. For 48 years, Roe has been a vital part of keeping us on the path to realizing this vision for our future.
The Biden-Harris administration embodies a new and welcome era of leadership—one that has committed to taking bold action to safeguard reproductive freedom and connected reproductive rights to the fight for justice and equity. As we work to undo the damage done by Trump and anti-choice politicians, we must carry the guiding principle that Roe is the floor, not the ceiling for the vision we espouse for this country. Fighting to ensure abortion remains legal is critical, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
NARAL and our more than 2.5 million members across the country will not stop fighting until every body is free to make their own decisions about pregnancy and parenting, free from political interference.”
The threat to Roe v. Wade and reproductive freedom is acute. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restriction forcing people to travel to a hospital, clinic, or medical office to access medication abortion care to be reinstated amid the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Any day, the Supreme Court could decide to review a case on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which directly challenges Roe v. Wade and violates nearly 50 years of Supreme Court precedent. If Roe fell tomorrow, 24 states would likely take action to prohibit abortion outright. Ten states already have “trigger bans” in place, which would ban abortion immediately if Roe is overturned. If Roe is rolled back and states are able to ban abortion, the consequences would be devastating, Scenarios about punishing and interrogating pregnant people and healthcare providers aren’t far fetched—they’re already happening. Pregnant people across the country are already charged or prosecuted for experiencing pregnancy loss, for struggling with substance use during pregnancy, for self-managing abortion care, or even suspicion of it. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); those in rural areas; and those with low incomes are disproportionately the focus of these cruel overreaches.
Despite the anti-choice movement’s relentless efforts to overturn Roe and criminalize abortion, they are wildly out of touch with the values of the majority. Across the United States, the vast majority of people believe that abortion should be legal. Polling shows that 77% of Americans support Roe, and there is no state in the country where banning abortion is popular.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters have fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom—including access to abortion, contraception, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 7 in 10 Americans who believe every person should have the freedom to make the best decision for themselves about if, when, and how to raise a family.