Black women leaders denounce federal abortion ban, call for Reproductive Justice supporters to register and vote

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

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham introduced a 15-week abortion ban. In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda President and CEO Marcela Howell issued the following statement in response:

“Sen. Graham’s federal abortion ban is an attack on reproductive rights that will endanger the lives of and restrict access for all women and pregnant people — most especially Black women and other women of color. Black women already face barriers to accessing reproductive health care, the kinds of barriers that can delay abortion care past 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“Make no mistake; this bill is a national ban on abortion. After decades of demanding that states have the right to legislate access to abortion, Sen. Graham and other anti-abortion politicians have revealed their true intent — to control the lives of women. And we know they will stop at nothing to restrict our human and civil rights — including the right to bodily autonomy.

“As Black women, our fight has never been about the right to abortion care, it has always been about surmounting the federal and state barriers that prevent us from accessing the full health care that is critical to the wellbeing of our families. We will continue the fight to ensure that every woman has the power and resources to make decisions about her own body.

“As we saw in Kansas when abortion is on the ballot, supporters of reproductive rights get out and vote in force. Sen. Graham’s actions underscore that legal abortion is on the ballot in every state and congressional race this November. We call on supporters of Reproductive Justice to register to vote, educate their friends and family members and get out and vote for candidates who support access to the full range of reproductive health care — including legal abortion.

We must not stop until Reproductive Justice is the law of the land.”

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