Black Women Urge U.S. Supreme Court to Protect the Affordable Care Act

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

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could strike down the Affordable Care Act, leaving millions of people without health care coverage. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, issued the following statement in support of the Affordable Care Act:

“The high court’s decision could kill the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the stroke of a pen and leave millions without healthcare. We implore the justices to protect the millions of people who depend on the ACA for their health insurance coverage. The attacks by the Trump Administration and his cohorts in Congress were repudiated by voters who elected a new president who promises to expand access to health care — not deny it.

“We know that before the passage of the ACA, people of color accounted for 54 percent of the uninsured in the United States, even though they only made up 35 percent of the population.  Black women and other women of color — who already face systemic barriers to accessing health care — were disproportionately impacted. The consistent chipping away at the law by conservative lawmakers and judges will result in millions of women losing the ability to properly care for the health of their families.

“Trump and his cohorts have fought to destroy the ACA since it was first signed into law. In Our Own Voice calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the ACA and we call on Congress to strengthen and improve access to health care for all people, of all races, genders and economic means.

“We encourage voters to join us in holding our elected officials accountable by demanding that they stop playing partisan political games with our health and rights.”

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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, femmes and girls. 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.