Philadelphia, PA – The Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade — and a woman’s right to choose and control her own body — is an assault on women everywhere across our land.
And coming on the heels of the Court’s decision on gun rights in a New York case earlier this week — affirming a person’s right to carry firearms outside the house — it is increasingly obvious that this Supreme Court has turned a deaf ear on the plight of cities like Philadelphia – and Black and Brown citizens everywhere — who are struggling under an avalanche of guns and gun violence in their communities.
I understand the Second Amendment, but at what point will this Court respect and protect the constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of the people who live in our neighborhoods most ravaged by gun violence?
Every woman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and this country has the right to make decisions and have access to quality care regarding her own reproductive health.
And every resident in our cities has the constitutional right to walk to school, to the corner store, or to work, free of the fear of gun violence that may take their life.
Elections have consequences, and the Supreme Court we have is one now dominated by conservatives appointed by Republican presidents.
The Constitution ought to be color-blind, as a Supreme Court Justice famously wrote a century ago. Sadly, it does not feel that way, given the horrendous decisions of this Supreme Court this week.
