National Network to End Domestic Violence Commemorates Roe v. Wade
January 20, 2023
A statement from Deborah J. Vagins, President & CEO, National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV):
Sunday, January 22 marks what would have been the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade. However, this past June, the Court overturned Roe and the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) remains gravely concerned by this decision and its potential to lead to total bans on abortion in about half of the states, change the work we do with domestic violence survivors experiencing reproductive abuse and coercion, and further harm survivors in need. The decision has undoubtedly forced those with means to travel thousands of miles to access abortion care, and has undoubtedly forced others to carry pregnancies against their will.
As I shared in June, abortion services are essential healthcare and having equal access—for all people, everywhere—is vital to their social and economic participation, reproductive autonomy, and right to determine their own lives. For domestic violence survivors, abortion access is a matter of safety. All people, including survivors, deserve full control over their lives and decisions, including the ability to safely and freely decide whether or not to become, or stay, pregnant. Access to a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare—including abortion—can help victims of abuse survive and escape in order to create better, safer lives for themselves and their families.
As we mourn the loss of Roe, we also acknowledge that many people struggled to access abortion services—as well as the full complement of reproductive healthcare options—before the constitutional right to abortion was overturned. State bans and restrictions have been—and will continue to be—devastating for low-income survivors, survivors of color, survivors with disabilities, and others who already face substantial barriers to accessing the healthcare they need. Every person deserves the right to make their own decisions about their bodies, and we must also center those who have been—and continue to be—most harmed by decisions like Dobbs.
NNEDV is committed to working toward racial, economic, and reproductive justice for all. We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to use its power to increase access to reproductive healthcare for all Americans, and we urge Congress to reintroduce and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. Sign up for our emails and be the first to know when it’s time to take action on these and other critical issues.
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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) represents the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence. NNEDV is a social change organization with a mission to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. NNEDV works to make domestic violence a national priority, change the way society responds to domestic violence, and strengthen domestic violence advocacy at every level.