Planned Parenthood of Southern New England on the Second Anniversary of the Dobbs Decision, Recent Supreme Court Rulings
For Immediate Release: June 24, 2024 (Updated: June 24, 2024, noon)
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Quincy Nolan, Communications Officer
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Two years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, upended nearly fifty years of settled legal precedent, and ended federal protections for abortion care. Today, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England reflects on the far-reaching consequences of this pivotal ruling on reproductive freedom.
When issued, the Dobbs decision fundamentally altered the landscape of personal medical decision-making and plunged millions of people – both patients and health care providers – into a state of uncertainty and chaos. The sudden loss of federal protections quickly allowed the anti-abortion movement to exploit our democratic institutions and courts to restrict or ban abortion access in 21 states, dramatically escalating a growing public health crisis nationwide.
Since then, the Supreme Court has heard more cases challenging abortion access.While the Court’s recent decision allowing mifepristone to remain on the market is welcome news, this fight is not over. That case will return to the same district court that tried to end FDA approval of mifepristone. Now the Supreme Court is poised to make yet another sweeping decision on a challenge to the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) that could have catastrophic consequences for people who need abortion care in emergency situations. Unless the Supreme Court is willing to let pregnant people die or suffer serious complications, they must ensure EMTALA remains in place.
“Over the last two years, we’ve witnessed abortion opponents strategically attack sexual and reproductive health care on all fronts. These attacks all share the same end goal: banning abortion nationwide and making sexual and reproductive health care inaccessible,” said Amanda Skinner, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “ People should have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies, lives, and futures. As we mark this grim anniversary, we are undaunted in our commitment to protecting access to essential sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Our health centers continue to do everything possible to provide patients with access to the care they need and deserve. We will never stop fighting until true reproductive freedom is a reality for all people.”