PHILADELPHIA, June 24, 2022 – Today, after months of speculation due to an unprecedented, leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion earlier this year, the nation’s highest court struck down the 1973 ruling of Roe vs. Wade, which gave women a constitutional right to an abortion. Councilmember Derek Green (At-Large) shared his reaction in the following statement:
“Today marks a sad, and frankly disgusting, moment in modern American history. Although we have suspected, for a few months now, that this moment may be coming, the reality of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade is a gut punch for reproductive and human rights. This decision has particularly devastating, life-altering consequences for women of color and those in low-income and rural communities around the country, who will now be forced to travel across state lines – 8 hours or more in many cases – to seek access to fundamental and equitable healthcare resources.
“We all know that if this were a question of bodily autonomy where men were concerned, this would not be happening, nor would it even be a topic of conversation. Healthcare is, and will always be a right, not a privilege! We will never know real freedom in this country without respecting and upholding a woman’s right to choose what is best for her own well-being and that of her family. I stand in solidarity with women and families who have been directly impacted by this ruling, as well as future generations who will ultimately suffer because of this once-unfathomable move to strike down a nearly 50-year legal precedent.”
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