May 03, 2022

Duckworth Reacts to Reports of Draft Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today reacted to reports that a majority of the Supreme Court has drafted an initial opinion that would effectively overturn Roe v. Wade:

“If this draft opinion becomes reality, a small group far-right Justices would be stripping away protected constitutional rights that millions of American families—including my own—have relied on for 50 years and that 70% of Americans believe should be legal. The institution, and the Justices who claimed Roe was ‘settled law,’ will struggle to survive the stench of this decision.

“In a nation with a growing maternal mortality crisis and often inaccessible healthcare, without affordable childcare or universal paid leave, forcing births on millions of people—even when the mother’s life could be at risk—is particularly cruel. Before finalizing their decision in this case, I hope these Justices recognize that you cannot ban abortions, you can only criminalize safe abortions—and that their decision in this case could have far-reaching consequences on many, many other rights.

“I will keep working to convince my colleagues in the Senate that we must act to codify Roe v. Wade into law so that every American has equal access to basic, necessary healthcare—regardless of which state they live in, the color of their skin or the size of their income.”

Duckworth has made protecting and expanding access to essential women’s healthcare a top priority and helped introduce the bicameral Women’s Health Protection Act that would guarantee equal access to abortion everywhere. She was outraged when Republicans blocked this critical legislation earlier this year. Additionally, Duckworth is the lead sponsor of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Healthcare (EACH) Act, which would end the Hyde Amendment and lift unjust abortion coverage restrictions for those who depend on Medicaid and other government-sponsored plans.

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