Black women leaders call for Reproductive Justice to commemorate Roe V. Wade

Statement by In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda Founder and President Marcela Howell

WASHINGTON — Today is the 48^th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion. Marcela Howell issued the following statement about reproductive health and rights:

“Just a few years after the high court declared the legal right to abortion women, Congress enacted the Hyde Amendment, banning federal funding for abortion under Medicaid. Over the years, the Hyde Amendment has been attached to other federal programs, including the Affordable Care Act.

“Forcing women who access health care coverage through the government to pay out of pocket disparately impacts poor women, primarily immigrants, young women and women of color, who are already more likely to experience pay discrimination and inequality. The Hyde Amendment is, at its base, a racist policy that violates the most basic human right to decide whether or when to have children. It threatens the economic security of those who are denied access to abortion, who often are more likely to fall into poverty or long-term economic insecurity.

“With a newly elected administration and Congress, Black women demand immediate action to send Congress a clean budget without the harmful Hyde Amendment and related coverage bans. We must ensure that all pregnant people have access to both abortion care and the resources to make reproductive health decisions – including the decision to have and raise our families with dignity – regardless of income, geography and insurance coverage.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national Reproductive Justice organization focused on lifting up the voices of Black women at the national and regional levels in our ongoing policy fight to secure Reproductive Justice for Black women, femmes, queer, trans and gender non-conforming people, and youth. Our strategic partners include Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc., SisterReach, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, The Afiya Center and Women With A Vision.