Supreme Court to Hear Case Later Today That Could be the Beginning of the End of Roe
For Immediate Release: March 4, 2020
Planned Parenthood Action Fund announces new digital ad campaign highlighting roles of Trump, U.S. senators in putting Roe v. Wade at risk
June Medical v. Russo could decide the fate of abortion access in America: in one month, the Supreme Court will also hear arguments on case about access to birth control
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo, a case that could pave the way for states to effectively ban abortion for many people across the country. It is the first time Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch will hear oral arguments in an abortion-related case since joining the court. June Medical could open the floodgates to medically unnecessary state abortion restrictions and gut the protections of Roe v. Wade.
This morning, Planned Parenthood Action Fund launched a high six-figure digital ad campaign, calling attention to the ways Donald Trump and United States senators have put Roe and safe, legal abortion at risk. The digital ads call out Trump, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for contributing to a world where the protections of Roe v. Wade are endangered like never before. The ads highlight how Trump “vowed to see Roe v. Wade overturned,” Collins “turned her back on Mainers and voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” and how Tillis “asked the Supreme Court to consider taking away our right to safe, legal abortion.”
Watch the Trump ad here. Watch the Collins ad here. Watch the Tillis ad here.
Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
“Reproductive freedom is on the line. Access to basic health care including abortion and birth control is hanging on by a thread. The Trump administration is doing everything it can to take away our rights and our freedom to control our own bodies, lives, and futures. Enough is enough. The American people want more health care, not less, and they want real solutions and an end to political attacks against basic health care. Planned Parenthood Action Fund will continue working to ensure every person can access the care they need, no matter where you live, how much you earn, or who you are.”
It is not just the right to safe, legal abortion that is before the court. On April 29, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Trump v. Pennsylvania, a case that will decide whether employers and universities can put access to birth control at risk for their employees and students. And it is not just these two cases. This administration has pushed policy after policy to roll back our health and our rights — from trying to defund Planned Parenthood, to trying to dismantle the effective Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, to pushing to eliminate protections for survivors of sexual assault. And with states passing 25 bans on abortion just in 2019 alone, the fight for the right to make decisions about your health, your body, and your future has reached a critical moment in our nation’s history.
The Trump administration’s attacks on birth control and other reproductive health care have spurred backlash across the country. A record-high 77 percent of Americans say they do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned, and there is no state where making abortion illegal is popular.
Last year, over 300 abortion restrictions were introduced in nearly every state in the country. Reproductive rights supporters have been galvanized by these attacks — advocating for policies that would expand health care access and protect access to safe, legal abortion, with major legislation passing in Illinois, New York, Virginia, and several other states. In fact, one-quarter of all proactive abortion policies passed since Roe v. Wade were enacted just last year.
###
Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy and electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.