In reaction to the leaked Supreme Court opinion, Abby Maxman, President and CEO, Oxfam America said:
Last night’s leaked Supreme Court opinion, if enacted, will make this country less safe, less equal, and less free for millions of women.
As the Court prepares to end constitutional protections for abortion, we must commit ourselves to redirect the moral compass of this nation. At its core, the right to an abortion is about equality—gender, race and class. It’s about poor and marginalized people – poor women, women of color, and gender-diverse people – who will be the most impacted by this ruling. It’s about the fundamental right of self-determination. And perhaps most importantly, it’s about people’s health and safety; criminalizing or restricting access to abortion doesn’t reduce the number of abortions, it only increases the number of unsafe abortions.
Abortion must be legal, because governments must respect, protect, and fulfill this right, and ensure that all are able to exercise this right, without risk or fear of criminalization. Abortion must be safe, because those who seek to terminate a pregnancy must be able to do so without jeopardizing their life, health, or wellbeing. And abortion must be accessible, because those seeking an abortion, including women, trans, intersex and non-binary people , must be able to have one, without discrimination or conditions, as guaranteed by their rights to bodily autonomy and self-determination.
Make no mistake—The rights of women and gender-diverse people are under attack in this country, with this impending decision being the latest in a series of actions aiming to solidify their status as lesser members of our society. For many people around the country, this has been a steady erosion of their human rights for years. For decades, women have fought for individual rights, rights that white men have enjoyed since the US’ founding —the right to vote, the right to make decisions about their own bodies and their own futures. And trans, intersex and non-binary people have fought against discrimination and for the right to be recognized for years. We will not walk away from these steps forward and will not be sent back to the 1950s with the stroke of a pen. If we believe in a more equal future, a more equal present, we must join together to demand the Supreme Court, Congress and the Biden administration take immediate steps to protect these fundamental rights.