Over the weekend, American Bridge 21st Century co-chair Cecile Richards wrote an open letter to women commemorating the anniversary of the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. According to the Associated Press, Ms. Richards’ open letter warned that the Supreme Court’s 5-4 midnight decision to uphold the Texas abortion ban signals “the end of judicial checks and balances on the issue.”
The Court’s inaction means governors across the country can “follow suit” after Texas Republican leaders “outlined a roadmap” to ban abortion and effectively overturn Roe v. Wade.
In order to protect the constitutional right to access an abortion, Democrats must focus on turning out women voters ahead of the 2022 midterms. Without support from a diverse group of women who carried the party to victory in 2018 and 2020, “Roe v. Wade could be headed for extinction in more places.”
The Associated Press: Cecile Richards: Court’s Texas move could mean end of Roe
By: Meg Kinnard | September 18, 2021
Key Points:
- “A year after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the country’s top abortion-rights activists warned that the Supreme Court’s recent inaction on Texas’ extremely restrictive new abortion law could signal the end of judicial checks and balances on the issue.”
- “‘For a lot of people, they’ve always assumed that, even if they lived in a state that passed restrictions on reproductive care, that there was always a judicial system that would be there to protect them and declare these laws unconstitutional,’ Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood, told The Associated Press in an interview this week.”
- “To coincide with Saturday’s anniversary of the death of Ginsburg, whom she called ‘a trailblazer and advocate for women everywhere,’ Richards released an open letter warning that Texas’ Republican leaders ‘have outlined a roadmap for other Republican governors to follow suit, with the acquiescence of the Supreme Court.’”
- “Richards said she is concerned that, without a shift in direction, Roe v. Wade could be headed for extinction in more places. But she pointed to the 2022 midterm elections as what she sees as a way for voters to change that.”
- “‘We are in a post-Roe world now,” Richards said. “Here in the state of Texas, Roe is no longer in effect … and all it takes is a Republican governor and a Republican Legislature. Your state could be exactly the same.’”
Read the full report here.
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Published: Sep 20, 2021