WASHINGTON, DC — The Green Party of the United States denounces the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision allowing states to ban abortion and control our bodies. We join the rallying cry of: our bodies, our minds, our power.
The fight for reproductive freedom is not over. Nineteen states currently protect access to abortion services: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Washington DC. Other states have varying laws, making it essential for communities to know their rights.
“Despite professing support for the right to have an abortion, the Democratic Party has failed to take the long-term legislative steps that would provide federal protection,” said Dee Taylor, Co-Chair of the Green Party National Women’s Caucus. Taylor protested the Supreme Court decision in Salt Lake City on Friday, the day Utah’s trigger law to make an abortion illegal except in very limited circumstances took effect at 6pm. “The right to control our bodies is non-negotiable,” added Taylor. “It is essential that the option of a safe, legal abortion remain available. Safe and legal at-home pills must be affordable and easily accessible without a prescription, together with a government-sponsored public relations campaign to educate about contraception and self-managed abortions. Clinics must be accessible and must offer advice and consultation on abortions, regardless of age or marital status.”
An estimated twenty-six states may ban abortions in most or all cases, either because of existing laws before Roe was decided or because they enacted trigger laws to ban abortions after Roe was overturned. Many of the bans criminalize abortions and put patients and providers at risk for imprisonment.
Greens are disheartened that six Supreme Court Justices could not acknowledge the economic implications of losing access to abortion care. A person carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term has four times greater odds of living below the federal poverty line. In a 2005 study, 73% of mothers undergoing an abortion said not being able to afford a baby at that time was a reason for the abortion. That number rose to 81% for mothers below the federal poverty line. The situation is much worse for incarcerated mothers where prisons in states hostile to abortion deny the procedure and two-thirds require incarcerated mothers to pay for their abortion.
The Green Party calls for:
- A mass mobilization to pressure state and Congressional legislators to act
- States to increase access to safe, legal Plan B and Plan C pills and abortion centers
- Enact the Women’s Health Protection Act
- Legislators to overturn the 1977 Hyde Act which essentially bans federal dollars from being used for abortion coverage for people insured by Medicaid, the nation’s main public health insurance program for low-income Americans.
- A universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health plan to finance healthcare as a human right and eliminate the administrative waste and profit-seeking of private insurance
- Fair ballot access, ranked choice voting and proportional representation to elect representatives who reflect the public’s majority support for reproductive rights
- Volunteer and donate to abortion service providers and candidates fighting for reproductive rights.
The Green Party prioritizes parental health and denounces this attack on majority poor and marginalized communities.
#BansOffOurBodies
#ReproductiveRightsAreHumanRights
MORE INFORMATION
How The Democrats Are Culpable On The Erosion Of Abortion Rights
Green Party Statement On The Need To Protect And Expand Access To Abortion Services
Green Party Platform On Reproductive Rights
States Where Abortion Rights Are Still Protected
A State By State Breakdown On Abortion Laws
Financial Assistance for Abortions and More
Find and Donate To A Local Abortion Fund Near You
Guide To At-Home Abortion Pills
Confidential Helpline and Legal Support
Green Party of the United States
202-804-2758
Newsroom | Twitter: @GreenPartyUS
Green candidate database and campaign information
Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
Contact:
Diana Brown, Co-Chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Philena Farley, Co-Chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Michael O’Neil, Communications Manager, meo@gp.org, 202-804-2758