Op-Ed: Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade hurts us all
The Supreme Court has dismantled nearly 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that protects a person’s constitutional right to privacy in choosing abortion. This ruling will not only take away millions of people’s right to access abortion, but it sets the stage to destroy the rights of all of us to control our own bodies and make our own personal health care decisions. Now, abortion rights will fall to the states. Abortion will remain legal in Pennsylvania, a promise upheld by Governor Wolf, but 26 states in the nation have state laws that will move swiftly to limit and even ban abortion access.
As active members of our communities and advocates for reproductive freedom, we are disheartened and outraged. Our group, and others like us, will not back down in this moment. Our neighbors in Ohio and West Virginia have trigger laws, making Pennsylvania an access point for abortion access. This necessitates an even stronger commitment from us to ensure access to abortion care for all. The right to control our bodies, which includes if and when someone decides to get pregnant, is one of the most fundamental human rights.
We believe that no one, no lawmaker, no institution, and no judge should have the authority to block our personal medical decisions. Everyone’s body is their own — and theirs alone. We hold this truth to be self-evident.
Liz Vibber, Ifeoma Aduba, Ron Strouse, Marc Preston, Dr. Howard Greenberg, Dr. Bruce Meyer, Ivy Silver, state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, and Kim Gronendahl contributed this piece on behalf of Planned Parenthood Keystone’s Bucks County advisory group.
This article originally appeared on The Intelligencer: Op-Ed: Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade hurts us all
