FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2022
CONTACT:
Joshua Stickney, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
joshua@ellabakercenter.org, 405-315-4151
Ella Baker Center Statement on Supreme Court’s Attack on Bodily Autonomy and Freedom
Oakland, CA – The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights released the following statement from Executive Director Marlene Sanchez in response to the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. The decision — a clear and extreme attack on the bodily autonomy and freedom of all pregnant people — reverses almost 50 years of precedent which protected the Constitutional right to abortion care.
“Today’s decision brought tears to my eyes — tears for the countless Black, Brown, queer, trans, non-binary and low-income pregnant people who will lose their lives because they cannot access safe abortions. The courts have yet again failed to keep us safe. We know that in order to keep our communities healthy and safe, we must rely on each other — not the courts.
“The Ella Baker Center will continue to provide mutual aid and resources and share our vision for what safety can look like in our communities. And as several states have already shamefully criminalized abortion and the provision of abortion care, we will fight more than ever to move away from punishment-based, carceral approaches — especially for those seeking basic reproductive care. Abortion is healthcare, abortion is liberation, and abortion isn’t going anywhere.”
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