ROE Act Coalition Calls on State Legislature to Immediately Protect and Expand Abortion Access After Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
For Immediate Release: Sept. 22, 2020
BOSTON, Mass.– The ROE Act Coalition today issued the following statement, urging the Massachusetts State Legislature to immediately pass the ROE Act, in light of efforts to ram through the confirmation of an anti-abortion Justice to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death is a heartbreaking loss for our country and all those who cherish reproductive freedom, gender equality, and equal rights for all. We mourn her passing, and we must protect her legacy. The grave uncertainty of the future of the United State Supreme Court and our country must be met with action.
“The legislature cannot wait any longer to pass the ROE Act. Reproductive freedom hangs in the balance nationally. As Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump scheme to nominate and confirm another radical anti-abortion opponent to the U.S. Supreme Court, our state legislators must take swift and immediate action to guarantee equitable access to safe, legal abortion care in Massachusetts and ensure that all Bay Staters have access to the reproductive health care they need.
“Justice Ginsburg spoke often about how medically unnecessary barriers undermine the legal right to abortion and disproportionately harm already vulnerable communities. Massachusetts must honor Justice Ginsburg’s legacy by removing the politically motivated barriers that deny Bay Staters their right to safe, legal abortion care.
“Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly support access to safe, legal abortion care. Yet our abortion laws do not reflect Massachusetts’ values. In fact, many of our abortion laws were created as an immediate response to the decision in Roe v. Wade, solely to restrict our ability to exercise the right the Court had guaranteed. No matter what happens in Washington, D.C., Massachusetts must urgently affirm its commitment to equality and freedom for all. The ROE Act Coalition is calling on both the House and Senate to pass the ROE Act immediately.”
Background:
The ROE Act Coalition is a statewide coalition committed to passing the ROE Act to protect and expand access to abortion in Massachusetts. Founding organizations include the ACLU of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, and Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts.
The ROE Act, among other provisions, builds safeguards for young people seeking abortion care; includes abortion in the pregnancy-related safety-net coverage provided to Massachusetts residents ineligible for MassHealth coverage; ensures access to abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases of fatal fetal diagnosis; reforms state law to remove inflammatory definitions and medically unnecessary restrictions; and codifies the principles of reproductive freedom into state law.
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