Black women denounce high court decision on Texas abortion law, call on Congress to take action

Statement from In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on the Texas abortion ban. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, issued the following statement:

“Today’s decision is another blow to Black women’s human and civil rights. ​​Black women and pregnant people in Texas already faced barriers to accessing basic health care services and the Supreme Court’s decision to, once again, fail to declare SB 8 as unconstitutional puts their reproductive health, rights and safety in even greater danger. The high court’s failure to completely overturn the Texas ban signals to other states that it is open season on women’s rights and lives — and we know that Black women and women of color will once again be the first in their sights.

“The enemies of reproductive health, rights and justice — in Texas, in Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court — have made it clear that they will stop at nothing to restrict our right to decide when or if to start or expand our families. I want to be just as clear; this wholesale attack on our human rights will always be met with protest and activism.

“We call on Congress to uphold the Constitution by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act, which will ensure the rights of women to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion. As Black women, our fight has always been — and continues to be — about the human right to control our body, our work and our community. This bad decision by the court does not change that.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national reproductive justice organization focused on lifting the voices of Black women at the national and regional levels in our ongoing policy fight to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls. Our eight 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.