Today, the United States Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of precedent and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion. The Supreme Court’s final decision comes 7 weeks after the leaked draft decision, and could lead to 26 states swiftly moving to ban abortion. In Massachusetts, abortion is – and will remain – legal and protected under state law, codified by the ROE Act.
This dangerous and chilling decision will have devastating consequences across the country, forcing people to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles for care or remain pregnant. Abortion is health care, and access to care should not be based on one’s zip code, income level, or identity.
This is a dark day for our country, but we’ve been preparing for this. In Massachusetts, abortion will remain legal and protected under state law – the Court’s decision does not change this, and PPLM is here for our patients today, and always.
Right now, people can look to Massachusetts: for care and for leadership. We must meet this moment with the urgency it demands by taking action to expand access to all sexual and reproductive health care — in our clinics providing care to all who want it and by legislating reproductive health equity in every corner of the Commonwealth.
- Dr. Jen Childs-Roshak, PPLM President and CEO