Rep. Grijalva Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Overturn Roe V. Wade

Statement

Today, Rep. Grijalva released the following statement:

"Today, the far-right Supreme Court majority voted to strike down Roe v. Wade and overturn nearly 50 years of precedent that guarantees safe and legal abortions, despite Americans' broad support for abortion rights. What comes next is a wave of oppressive anti-abortion laws in more than 20 states -- home to roughly half the country's population -- that will target women and infringe on their constitutional right to critical reproductive health care."

"Let's be clear: Patients should make their own decisions about their own bodies with their doctors without interference from Republican politicians. Period. I strongly believe in protecting and promoting access to health care and privacy -- and that includes safe and legal abortion care."

"Many Republicans will celebrate this day as a victory, but the truth is that for decades, they've worked to revoke essential freedoms for patients to make choices about their own bodies and futures under the guise of a "pro-life" agenda. Republicans aren't "pro-life". We've seen how they refuse to address gun violence, high maternal mortality rates, deny basic health care and contraceptives, deny access to paid family leave and universal childcare, cut programs that feed hungry kids and provide low-income families with opportunities to better themselves."

"This issue is about control. It is about mostly men, forcing women to carry a child against their will. It is about trapping women in our society in cycles of poverty, so that they cannot easily rise to challenge these men who fear their success. It takes away the most important and life changing decision a woman will ever make. It is a fundamental and disgusting restructuring of the progress we have made as a county to afford women equity."

"Make no mistake, this decision will fall on the poorest and most vulnerable women in our country: women of color, young women, and low-income women. Women without means to travel or receive a safe abortion may face life threatening consequences and serious health risks. It also means the U.S. will join one of a handful of countries moving to criminalize abortion access."

"Democrats in the House of Representatives will not stand by as our country reverses decades of progress for women's equality. We have already taken several steps to proactively ensure that women are able to make the health care decisions that work best for them. I cosponsored and voted for the Women's Health Protection Act, which will legislatively protect abortion access. The Senate, including Senators Sinema and Kelly, must ​now do whatever it takes to pass these protections and get them to the President's desk. I will never stop fighting to protect and grow the rights of women in this country. I will stand up for what the majority of Americans support, which is to leave health care decisions to a patient and their doctor -- not politicians."

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