FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 4, 2022 Contact: Pablo DeJesus | info@uusj.org If Roe v. Wade Is Overturned, Millions Will See Their Liberty Of Choice Stolen Washington, D.C.—On May 4th Pablo DeJesus, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ), affirmed support for the position of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) on the matter of Roe v. Wade and reproductive choice, this in response to the leaked Supreme Court memo. ### On May 2, 2022, Politico reported on a leaked memo, originating with the United States Supreme Court, suggesting the highest court will move to strike down Row v. Wade in a forthcoming decision for Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women Health Organization. “The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO. The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision — Planned Parenthood v. Casey — that largely maintained the right.” – JOSH GERSTEIN and ALEXANDER WARD, Politico On May 3, the UUA issued a press release, “UUs Remain Committed to Supporting Reproductive Justice, Will Continue to Fight for Abortion Access.” (Full release) “...But we are heartbroken and outraged that it appears the Supreme Court is poised to overturn nearly five decades of precedent to take rights away from pregnant people. And we greatly fear that this decision will justify efforts to further limit the rights of women and other vulnerable populations in this country. Furthermore, we know the most damaging impacts of overturning Roe will be felt by people of color, young people, poor and working class people, and those living in rural areas, all who even today do not have ready access to comprehensive and equitable reproductive care, including access to abortion.” UUSJ joins the UUA in siding with the longstanding Unitarian Universalist tradition of supporting the right of every person to make decisions about their own body, its care, and relevant reproductive choices. Today we uphold the choice to seek care, including abortion care. We side with Roe v. Wade. While UUSJ has no formal policy on the matter, having understood Roe v. Wade to be settled law and established legal precedent, today, we join with people of faith across the nation to acknowledge the fear, uncertainty, and fury so many of our neighbors feel with this news. We understand that this is an assault on the bodies of people with uteruses. We know this will particularly impact BIPOC, rural, and disabled people. We see that this will especially harm poor and low-wealth Americans. We defy the premise, as we understand it, from early reporting and analysis, that Roe’s logic and legal protections must be rejected for lack of any claim to being deeply rooted in history. And agree, with the inclusion of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992) (Pg 31) we fear for the case line: “Casey relied on cases involving the right to marry a person of a different race, Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967); the right to marry while in prison, Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987); the right to obtain contraception, Griswald v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965), Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 U.S. 438 (1972); the right to reside with relatives, Moore v. East Cleveland, 431 U.S. 494 (1977); the right to make decisions about the education of one’s children, Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S 510 (1925), Meyer v Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 (1923); the right not to be sterilized without consent, Skinner v. Oklahoma ex rel. Williamson, 316 U.S. 535 (1942); and the right in certain circumstances not to undergo involuntary surgery, forced administration of drugs, or other substantially similar procedures,” (Pg 31) Our faith teaches us that all bodies are sacred. That we must act from conviction and principle. That we should be free to make decisions and choices that impact our health, our families, our futures–our lives. If the leaked memo, the apparent opinion in the Jackson v. Dobbs case is enacted, Roe v. Wade would be overturned and millions of people will see their liberty of choice stolen. This would seem a travesty of generational proportions. - Pablo DeJesus, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice ### |
