For Immediate Release
June 24, 2022
Contact:
K Richardson, Communications Manager | [email protected]
Transgender Law Center Denounces SCOTUS Opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and pledges solidarity with the Reproductive Justice Movement
NATIONAL – The Transgender Law Center strongly denounces the Supreme Court’s Opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization as a despicable, shameless, and politically-motivated attack on the bodily autonomy of all people, especially those people who are exercising their right to end pregnancies.
Today’s 6-3 opinion by the Supreme Court’s extremist conservative supermajority overturns Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and puts the lives and safety of millions at potential risk, especially those people who have historically experienced the most egregious attacks and restrictions around bodily autonomy by the state, including Black women, disabled people, migrant women, and poor people and people living in rural areas.
“Today we loudly affirm and pledge our solidarity with all people working for Reproductive Justice in this country,” said Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center. “Whether it is a right to an abortion, the right to affirming medical care, or the right to learn about your own history in schools, our collective rights to self-determination and bodily autonomy are inexorably entwined. There will be an inevitable rush to consider what this means for other legal precedents, but today’s Supreme Court opinion is a time to pledge our solidarity and shared community with all people who seek to end pregnancies and to acknowledge the impact of this particular opinion on all of our lives.”
Roe and Casey were rights on paper but not in reality for so many, especially Black, Indigenous, disabled, and poor people. During this period of increased criminalization and decades of rolling back rights, brilliant networks of community support and people committed to protecting bodily autonomy have grown and strengthened. Organizations like the National Network of Abortion Funds and Midwest Access Coalition who work to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion, trans and BIPOC led organizations like ARC Southeast, Sister Song, TAKE Birmingham, TKO Society, TENT, and many more who connect their communities to resources and support, and groups organizing against the criminalization of pregnant people like If/When/How’s Repro Legal Defense Fund have anticipated this moment and met this moment with a deep understanding of what our communities need to thrive. At a time when state legislatures and the courts aim to put our communities in greater danger, we know where to look for leadership and vision, and care. Our hope lies with each other and in the ways we have and will always keep one another safe.