Rep. Payne, Jr.’s Statement on U.S. Supreme Court’s Reversal of Roe v. Wade 

Court Decision Eliminates Right to Abortion Nationwide

Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. issued the following statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the landmark, 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade that gave all American woman control over their reproductive health care decisions.  The Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the right to an abortion and women’s reproductive health care decisions should be decided by voters in U.S. states and not guaranteed as a federal protection of women’s rights by the U.S. government.  The Dobbs case challenged a Mississippi law that banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.  The court’s decision reverses almost 50 years of court precedent and could result in a total ban on abortion and women’s reproductive rights in as many as 25 U.S. states.

“This is a tragic day in America.  Today, the Supreme Court has decided that women do not have the right to determine their reproductive health care choices and that state legislatures should have control over women’s bodies.  Clearly, Supreme Court decisions are no longer based on the Constitution nor on legal precedent.  Instead, this is another horrible example of a court that represents the radical right-wing agenda of the modern Republican Party.  These polices are rejected by the overwhelming majority of Americans.  Yet, the Republican Party and radical right are determined to increase their power and eliminate the rights Americans have fought to gain for decades.  Now, women across the country could return to a dark past when access to a safe abortion procedure was difficult or impossible.  I have always been a proud supporter of a woman’s right to choose because I know that we must trust women to make their own health care decisions rather than dictating to them.

Now, the Senate must stand up for Americans and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.  This legislation would guarantee women the legal right to their own reproductive health choices, including abortions.  If necessary, Senate leaders must abolish the filibuster to allow an up or down vote to be held and establish women’s reproductive rights into federal law.  American women should have the right to determine their health care choices and not state legislatures.  There is no other action that would rise to the urgency of this moment than doing whatever it takes to pass this bill.  The American people depend on Congress to protect their rights.  We must not let them down.”