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Court Rulings for Texas, Georgia Issue a Rocky Blow for Abortion Care

NATIONWIDE — Today, one week after a lower court struck down Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, the state’s Supreme Court has reinstated it. Also today, the Supreme Court upheld an order that allows the state of Texas to continue barring emergency abortion care – blocking federal enforcement of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). In response to this news, Dr. Regina Davis Moss, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice, released the following statement:

“We knew decisions like these were coming. Extreme lawmakers and the judges they appoint are determined to strip us of our bodily autonomy and agency at every single turn. Today, Black women have yet again been told: Your life, your health and your safety do not matter.

In just Georgia and Texas alone, there are nearly two million Black women of reproductive age. Two million. These dangerous and backwards laws deprive people of accessing the medical care they need and deserve. We’ve already seen the disproportionate impact these bans have on Black women, girls and gender-expansive people and are once again reminded of the devastating deaths and outcomes of numerous women as a result of these bans, including Candi Miller, Amber Nicole Thurman, and Brittany Watts.

The bottom line is that your reproductive health, or your fate, should not be determined by your zip code, and your ability to access emergency medical services should never be left in the hands of a few judges or lawmakers. Without equitable, accessible health care, bodily autonomy and reproductive agency, more Black women will continue to die preventable deaths. This is why we must continue to fight harder for Reproductive Justice than ever before.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in our fight to secure Reproductive Justice for all women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals. Our eight strategic partners are 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.

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