The Constitutional Right to Abortion Is Gone

National Center for Law and Economic Justice condemns the Supreme Court’s dismantling of abortion rights with today’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and stands in solidarity with reproductive justice movements working to protect the right to abortion. The constitutional protection of a right to abortion has enabled women and others who can become pregnant to decide the course of their own lives for nearly forty years.  The Supreme Court has, with the stroke of a pen, undermined the legal personhood of half of the population of this country.  

“For years, we’ve been watching as, state by state, access to abortion and reproductive choice has been attacked,” said Katharine Deabler-Meadows, NCLEJ Staff Attorney. “The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade means that the last bulwark against oppressive state bans on abortion has been destroyed.” 

Access to abortion has never been equal in this country. The federal Medicaid program—which provides healthcare for 74 million low- income people—has not covered abortion care since 1977. While some states impose few restrictions on abortion access, others have increasingly restricted access to  abortion care, including 31 states introducing 88 abortion bans in the first five months of 2022 alone. Today’s decision will make abortion access even more dependent on where a person lives and how much money they have. 

“This decision is a tragedy, and it will cause immense harm in our countries’ most vulnerable communities,” said Dennis Parker, NCLEJ Executive Director. “It’s a travesty to witness the Court’s decision to give states unlimited rights to restrict reproductive freedom.”