Pittsburgh, Pa. − June 24, 2022 − Senator Lindsey M. Williams released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade:
I am completely devastated over today’s Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which has overturned the right to a safe, legal abortion in this country, but I am ready to fight back. I will always stand for a woman’s right to healthcare, and that includes abortion. Deciding if, when, and with whom to start or grow a family is a human right. I trust people to make the best decisions about their lives, families and their healthcare. This fight is about our right to privacy and our right to bodily autonomy.
Restricting access to abortion disproportionately affects communities that already face systemic barriers to health care, including people of color, young people, those in rural areas, and those with low incomes. There are a lot of issues for us to tackle when it comes to healthcare, but restricting access to it is not the solution. Further than that, outlawing abortion does not stop abortion. It only stops safe abortion.
I support the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act on a federal level that would protect access to abortion across the country and for Congress to take any additional or necessary steps to codify protections under Roe. The Women’s Health Protection Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives last September, but has not yet passed the U.S. Senate. In October of last year, I signed onto an Amicus Brief in support of Pennsylvania reproductive health centers and Women’s Law Project in a case around access to healthcare for low-income women.
This court decision has left many of us feeling uncertainty, grief, and anger—including me. But I will continue to fight in Harrisburg to protect the fundamental rights of all people to have safe, accessible, and complete reproductive healthcare.
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