Why Roe (Still) Matters

In just a few days, we’ll be celebrating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal, and, finally, safe – taking the medical procedure out of the alleyways and into a doctor’s office.

But this year, we are marking the anniversary with Brett Kavanaugh on the Court. For the first time in decades, the majority of sitting justices are opponents of abortion and some, including Kavanaugh, have made no secret of their wish to overturn Roe.

We no longer have the critical failsafe of a Supreme Court that respects settled case law or a woman’s right to decide what happens to, and in, her body. That two of the justices have faced credible accusations of sexual harassment and/or assault and could not provide a credible, reasonable defense underscores that this is a Court with a brazen disregard for women – for our rights, for our voices, and for our bodies.

If Roe is overturned, access to abortion in Michigan will be decimated – that’s because Michigan still has an abortion ban on the books, passed in 1931. Without Roe, women’s rights and women’s health revert back to standards established nearly 100 years ago.

We can’t let that happen.

There is so much we can do to protect and increase access to basic reproductive health care – like lifting the ban on telemedicine abortion, as we just did in December, 2018.

But what we really need is to support our choice champions as they take on the hard work of keeping access to abortion intact for all Michiganders, regardless of what happens federally – and for that, we’ll be asking you to get involved.

This Tuesday, it will be 46 years since Roe was decided. On any day, the Court can take up one of 15 cases that provide the opportunity for them to unravel it.

We can’t count on the Supreme Court to be our hero anymore, so we’re going to have to be our own. Protecting access to abortion in Michigan is one of our top priorities this year – we hope you’ll make it your, too.