MILWAUKEE – On Monday evening, it was reported that the United States Supreme Court had voted to strike down the Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed federal protections of abortion rights.
County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson and Supervisors Felesia A. Martin and Liz Sumner released the following statement on the draft opinion.
“If the Supreme Court’s opinion is published as currently drafted, it would mean the end of safe and legal abortion as we know it in Wisconsin and likely 25 other states. This would be an unacceptable backslide for women’s rights to bodily autonomy.
“As the County Board continues to make strides in advancing health equity, overturning Roe v. Wade would be a massive blow to these efforts. The decision would have a disproportionate impact on Black women, who currently lead the nation in maternal mortality rates. This is an equity issue as much as it is a health issue.
“Healthcare is personal, and for us this decision is personal. Women are more than capable of making our own decisions about what to do with our bodies without the government making healthcare decisions for us. Our reproductive freedoms should not be subject to the whims of vastly majority-male state legislatures across the country.”
The court is expected to issue its final opinion next month.
