Today, after years of relentless attacks on their constituents’ reproductive freedom, shrouded in misleading claims of protecting women’s health and equality, Republican lawmakers from across the country made their aims clear: They want the Supreme Court to allow states to ban access to safe, legal abortion.
In separate amicus briefs filed today, 12 Republican governors and nearly 230 Republican members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade and 50 years of precedent when it considers Mississippi’s 15-week ban in its upcoming term.
Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, issued the following statement in response:
“From the start, we’ve said that the case before the Supreme Court aims directly at the heart of Roe and access to safe, legal abortion. If it wasn’t already clear, these Republican governors and members of Congress have laid it out for us: They want to ban abortion outright. This is deeply out of the step with the American public — 80 percent of whom support access to safe, legal abortion. And at a time when COVID-19 cases are back on the rise across the country, it’s immoral and irresponsible that these elected officials continue to prioritize blocking access to essential health care over the safety of their citizens. Planned Parenthood Action Fund will continue to do all we can to fight back and protect access to reproductive freedom for all.”
In May, the Supreme Court announced it will review Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, the first direct challenge to Roe v. Wade the court will hear since Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation. The case, brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of Jackson Women’s Health Organization — the last abortion provider in Mississippi — challenges a blatantly unconstitutional ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The Mississippi law is currently blocked, with both a federal district court and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals recognizing it is unconstitutional. If the Supreme Court allows the Mississippi 15-week ban to take effect, many other states are at risk, including Louisiana, where a similar ban is on hold. With 15 other abortion-related cases just one step away from the Supreme Court and 25 million women of reproductive age at risk of losing abortion access if Roe is overturned, the protections guaranteed under Roe v. Wade are in jeopardy like never before.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.