Planned Parenthood Thanks Justice Breyer for His Decades of Service; Calls on Biden to Choose Nominee Who Will Protect Constitutional Right to Abortion 

WASHINGTON — Today, multiple reports are confirming that Justice Stephen Breyer plans to announce he will retire at the end of the term. A brilliant, compassionate jurist, he has been a champion for civil and reproductive rights. Justice Breyer has supported some of the nation’s most important decisions on reproductive freedom — including authoring pivotal decisions reaffirming the constitutional right to abortion. He also has dissented when the Court has failed to protect the right, including this past year as the Supreme Court allowed Texas’s unconstitutional six-week abortion ban to remain in effect. Justice Breyer also played a key role in ensuring marriage equality, protecting the Affordable Care Act, and more.

With Breyer's retirement, President Biden now has a duty to select a qualified nominee who will support access to sexual and reproductive health care — as Justice Breyer has done unwaveringly throughout his career — and champion the health and rights of all people for years to come.

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

“Justice Breyer has been one of our strongest defenders of reproductive freedom, and we at Planned Parenthood thank him for his decades of service to the nation. His retirement comes at a time when access to abortion and other fundamental rights are under attack like never before, in no small part because the federal courts have allowed states to severely restrict the constitutional right to abortion. These threats show no signs of slowing down, and our Supreme Court should reflect our values and defend our constitutional rights.  We’re calling on President Biden to swiftly nominate a qualified candidate who knows that the Constitution protects individual liberty and our right to make decisions about our own bodies. They must also be a bold force working to end our country’s two very different, racially-divided, systems of justice.”

Former President Trump and now-Minority Leader Mitch McConnell added three justices to the Supreme Court, and filled more than 230 lifetime judicial seats in the lower federal courts — many with records hostile to reproductive and civil rights.

The new makeup of the courts has led state politicians opposed to reproductive rights to enact abortion bans and restrictions in hopes that the Supreme Court will now be willing to overturn Roe v. Wade – a step they may take by this summer as they consider Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. In 2021, more than 100 abortion restrictions were enacted in states across the country, the most in a single year since Roe was decided. That includes S.B. 8, Texas’s radical abortion ban that the Supreme Court has allowed to stay in effect for nearly five months. 

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for all people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect, and without judgment, striving to create equitable access to health care. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable education and information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports the independently incorporated Planned Parenthood affiliates operating health centers across the U.S.