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

Today is the 47th 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:

“Almost as soon as the historic Roe decision was handed down, opponents of reproductive rights began to attack access to abortion. Just a few years after the high court decreed that access to abortion is a women’s right, Congress enacted the Hyde Amendment, separating abortion care from other health care by prohibiting federal funding for those who got their health insurance through the government. Ever since, we have witnessed the continued erosion of our civil right to sovereignty over our own bodies.

“The administration and its conservative supporters have made it clear that they will stop at nothing to restrict our human rights, whether it is abortion rights, voting rights, freedom to practice our religion and so much more. Conservative lawmakers have urged the Supreme Court to revisit its decision on Roe and place additional limits on abortion rights. Black women and all women of color will suffer the most from this unrelenting onslaught on reproductive rights. We already face systemic barriers to accessing health care — especially reproductive health services — we do not need more hurdles.

“As Black women, our fight has never been about the right to abortion care, it has been about surmounting the federal and state barriers that prevent us from accessing that care.

“We at In Our Own Voice will continue the fight to ensure that every woman has the resources to make decisions about her own body regardless of her income, her geography and her insurance coverage.”


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.