Women’s Groups to Rally in RI for Reproductive Rights Following SCOTUS Overturning Roe v. Wade
Friday, June 24, 2022
The Women's Fund of Rhode Island and more are going to be rallying in Providence, after the Supreme Court announced its decision overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday.
"Concerned about the Supreme Court decision on reproductive health that was released today? Please join Women's Fund of Rhode Island, the Womxn Project and other partners advocating for reproductive rights tonight at the Rhode Island State House at 8 PM to lift our voices in dissent," said Kelly Nevins, CEO of WFRI. "If you happen to be in downtown Providence at 3 PM in Kennedy Plaza across from the Federal Court building, you can also catch a press conference on the decision with members of the Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, of which we are a member."
Nevins continued:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"We at the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island stand in fierce opposition to the Supreme Court decision reversing Roe vs. Wade. For decades, our organization has fought to ensure that women have the right to choose abortion, including the fight resulting in the passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act in 2019. People can’t be truly equal or free if they don’t have control over their own bodies and reproductive lives.
The decision about whether, when, or how to become a parent is one of the most important life decisions we make. Forcing someone to continue a pregnancy against their will and denying abortion care is a violation of their freedom and humanity. We maintain that ALL people deserve the right to control their own bodies.
Living a safe and healthy life is a basic right. Abortion care is health care. When people have access to a full range of health care services, including birth control, abortion, and maternity care, they are healthier, and their families thrive. Abortion bans and restrictions fall hardest on Black, Indigenous, and other people of color working to make ends meet. Part of building a more just and equitable society is ensuring that abortion care is available and affordable for all.
Beyond the threat to abortion rights, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has serious implications and potential consequences for other feminist causes, including birth control, gay marriage, transgender rights, and the safety and security of LGBTQ+ and feminist activists. This decision makes our work more urgent and necessary than ever.
Health disparities have never been more apparent than in the past few years, given the dual health and economic crises caused by COVID-19. Those struggling to make ends meet already face barriers to accessing care. While abortion may remain legal in Rhode Island due to our local laws, low-income women and those on state employee health insurance might as well live in the 39 states where abortion is now against the law.
Let’s trust people to make the decisions that are best for their lives and bodies. Our policies and budgets should ensure affordable and available abortion care. We must work to ensure that access to abortion care does not depend on who you are, where you live, or how much money you make. For this reason, we continue to push our general assembly members to pass the RI Equality in Abortion Coverage Act.
What can you do?
Donate to and volunteer with local abortion funds and providers (WHEF and Planned Parenthood are two options)
Donate to and volunteer with advocacy organizations that are working to expand access to reproductive services, rights, and freedom (many of which you will see at the rally tonight)
Elect legislators who will pass laws to protect all people’s rights to bodily autonomy and abortion care (many of whom you will see at the rally tonight)
Run for office so you can pass laws to protect all people’s rights to bodily autonomy and abortion care
Donate to and volunteer with Women’s Fund of Rhode Island so we can continue supporting these efforts!"
The Womxn Project statement on the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health:
"The US Supreme Court just overturned Roe and Casey. Precedent for 50 years gone. There is so much more to say, but know that the impact will be swift and devastating. This decision will not only severely limit abortion access in at least 26 states and territories, but will exacerbate existing barriers, especially for people of color, individuals with low incomes, and immigrants
Hostile states will likely try to ban abortion, but here in Rhode Island because of the work that we did together over decades and the passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act in 2019, abortion is legal and we still have the right. Yes, that should be a comfort to anyone who needs care or will need or want to end a pregnancy in the coming days, but it is also a call to action. We need to speak up loudy and defiantly to make it clear that abortion IS a right and should be accessible for everyone everywhere.
That means investing in the abortion funds and support networks who will be working hard to make sure people can get care. It also means holding accountable the politicians in Congress and right here who have not done more - not done their job to protect our rights and not just ensure, but expand access. A majority of Rhode Islanders supported the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act and a majority of the 2022 General Assembly signed on, but Governor McKee, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio didn’t get the job done. The governor allowed a budget to pass that denied insurance benefits for abortion for state employees and people who use Medicaid and the leadership refused to allow the bill to get a vote on the floor. In spite of a constant public outcry, they did not do what was needed to make sure the right we worked so hard to protect would be made real for people facing financial barriers. Well trust that we will remember this in the coming elections. We will remember - and call out - every elected official who got in the way of doing more to ensure true access to abortion care.
But getting rid of the ban on coverage isn’t enough. The Womxn Project and our partners are demanding more. We are going to continue to educate, organize and mobilize to get rid of the policy that forces young people to involve a parent and pushes care out of reach. We will expand who can provide aboriton care in order to expand access to services. We will address the laws that fuel mass incarceration, but also make sure that if the state puts people behind bars that they do not lose their humanity or access to the full range of reproductive health care they need, including abortion. We will spotlight the harm of fake clinics and make sure they don’t get state funds to prey on people who need real health care and accurate information. We will work with our partners and volunteers to do all we can to make sure that regardless of age or income, race or immigration status that no matter what people will get the information, support and services they need to plan their families, manage their health, and plan their families and futures.
But it is not enough just to speak out and show up for abortion rights and reproductive health information and care. Abortion access is one of several fundamental rights under attack in the U.S., including our right to vote, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and a host of other rights intertwined with our right to liberty in which Roe v. Wade was grounded, such as contraception and marriage equality. This fight is so much more than abortion - though it is also about being unequivocally in support of abortion when anyone wants care.
Let’s be clear that this ruling is truly catastrophic, but the work and the fight iis not over. It will never be over. We will keep speaking up and showing up to ensure we control our bodies, our families and our futures - that we can all live healthy lives with dignity. We don’t depend on courts and politicians. We depend on each other! And that is what gives us hope - that together we are strong. We have seen time and again how much amazing progress is possible when we leverage our collective strength.”
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