FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Friday, June 24, 2022
Contact: Jocelyn Foye, Director
The Womxn Project
[email protected]
401-400-0061
We Will Take Care of Us: The Womxn Project Responds to SCOTUS Decision
We are done with political games. Courts and politicians will not tell us who we are or how to plan our families or futures. We will do what it takes to protect our rights.
[Providence, RI] – The Womxn Project statement on the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health:
The US Supreme Court just overturned Roe and Casey. Precedent for 50 years gone. There is so much more to say, but know that the impact will be swift and devastating. This decision will not only severely limit abortion access in at least 26 states and territories, but will exacerbate existing barriers, especially for people of color, individuals with low incomes, and immigrants.
Hostile states will likely try to ban abortion, but here in Rhode Island because of the work that we did together over decades and the passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act in 2019, abortion is legal and we still have the right. Yes, that should be a comfort to anyone who needs care or will need or want to end a pregnancy in the coming days, but it is also a call to action. We need to speak up loudy and defiantly to make it clear that abortion IS a right and should be accessible for everyone everywhere.
That means investing in the abortion funds and support networks who will be working hard to make sure people can get care. It also means holding accountable the politicians in Congress and right here who have not done more – not done their job to protect our rights and not just ensure, but expand access. A majority of Rhode Islanders supported the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act and a majority of the 2022 General Assembly signed on, but Governor McKee, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio didn’t get the job done. The governor allowed a budget to pass that denied insurance benefits for abortion for state employees and people who use Medicaid and the leadership refused to allow the bill to get a vote on the floor. In spite of a constant public outcry, they did not do what was needed to make sure the right we worked so hard to protect would be made real for people facing financial barriers. Well trust that we will remember this in the coming elections. We will remember – and call out – every elected official who got in the way of doing more to ensure true access to abortion care.
But getting rid of the ban on coverage isn’t enough. The Womxn Project and our partners are demanding more. We are going to continue to educate, organize and mobilize to get rid of the policy that forces young people to involve a parent and pushes care out of reach. We will expand who can provide abortion care in order to expand access to services. We will address the laws that fuel mass incarceration, but also make sure that if the state puts people behind bars that they do not lose their humanity or access to the full range of reproductive health care they need, including abortion. We will spotlight the harm of fake clinics and make sure they don’t get state funds to prey on people who need real health care and accurate information. We will work with our partners and volunteers to do all we can to make sure that regardless of age or income, race or immigration status that no matter what people will get the information, support and services they need to plan their families, manage their health, and plan their families and futures. NO MATTER WHAT WE WILL CARE FOR US!
But it is not enough just to speak out and show up for abortion rights and reproductive health information and care. Abortion access is one of several fundamental rights under attack in the U.S., including our right to vote, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and a host of other rights intertwined with our right to liberty in which Roe v. Wade was grounded, such as contraception and marriage equality. This fight is so much more than abortion – though it is also about being unequivocally in support of abortion when anyone wants care.
Let’s be clear that this ruling is truly catastrophic, but the work and the fight iis not over. It will never be over. We will keep speaking up and showing up to ensure we control our bodies, our families and our futures – that we can all live healthy lives with dignity. We don’t depend on courts and politicians. We depend on each other! And that is what gives us hope – that together we are strong. We have seen time and again how much amazing progress is possible when we leverage our collective strength.”
The impact will be swift and devastating. This decision will not only severely limit abortion access in at least 26 states and territories, but will exacerbate existing barriers, especially for people of color, individuals with low incomes, and immigrants.
Hostile states will likely try to ban abortion, but here in Rhode Island because of the work that we did together over decades and the passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act in 2019, abortion is legal and we still have the right. Yes, that should be a comfort to anyone who needs care or will need or want to end a pregnancy in the coming days, but it is also a call to action. We need to speak up loudy and defiantly to make it clear that abortion IS a right and should be accessible for everyone everywhere.
That means investing in the abortion funds and support networks who will be working hard to make sure people can get care. It also means holding accountable the politicians in Congress and right here who have not done more – not done their job to protect our rights and not just ensure, but expand access. A majority of Rhode Islanders supported the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act and a majority of the 2022 General Assembly signed on, but Governor McKee, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio didn’t get the job done. The governor allowed a budget to pass that denied insurance benefits for abortion for state employees and people who use Medicaid and the leadership refused to allow the bill to get a vote on the floor. In spite of a constant public outcry, they did not do what was needed to make sure the right we worked so hard to protect would be made real for people facing financial barriers. Well trust that we will remember this in the coming elections. We will remember – and call out – every elected official who got in the way of doing more to ensure true access to abortion care.
But getting rid of the ban on coverage isn’t enough. The Womxn Project and our partners are demanding more. We are going to continue to educate, organize and mobilize to get rid of the policy that forces young people to involve a parent ***. We will expand who can provide aboriton care in order to expand access to services. We will address the laws that fuel mass incarceration, but also make sure that if the state puts people behind bars that they do not lose their humanity or access to the full range of reproductive health care they need, including abortion. We will spotlight the harm of fake clinics and make sure they don’t get state funds to prey on people who need real health care and accurate information. We will work with our partners and volunteers to do all we can to make sure that regardless of age or income, race or immigration status that no matter what people will get the information, support and services they need to plan their families, manage their health, and plan their families and futures. NO MATTER WHAT WE WILL CARE FOR US!
But it is not enough just to speak out and show up for abortion rights and reproductive health information and care.
Abortion access is one of several fundamental rights under attack in the U.S., including our right to vote, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and a host of other rights intertwined with our right to liberty in which Roe v. Wade was grounded, such as contraception and marriage equality. This fight is so much more than abortion – though it is also about being unequivocally in support of abortion when anyone wants care.
Let’s be clear that this ruling is truly catastrophic, but the work and the fight iis not over. It will never be over. We will keep speaking up and showing up to ensure we control our bodies, our families and our futures – that we can all live healthy lives with dignity. We don’t depend on courts and politicians. We depend on each other! And that is what gives us hope – that together we are strong. We have seen time and again how much amazing progress is possible when we leverage our collective strength.”
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Jocelyn Foye and members of our board and the Campaign for Equal Abortion Coverage are available for interview upon request.
“Let me be clear. Courts don’t decide who we are and what we need. We do. We will show up for our community. We will make sure people get the abortions we need. It is ok to be sad, angry, and frustrated. We have known this was coming and it is still heartbreaking and devastating. We get that. Just please do not be hopeless. We are in this together and we are strong. We will keep on organizing and rallying, living and love, caring for ourselves and our communities and fighting for the future that we all deserve!” Jocelyn Foye, Director, The Womxn Project