Michigan LCV Statement on Leaked Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Roe v. Wade

 ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In response to the leaked draft opinion indicating that a majority of Supreme Court justices are planning to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters issued the following statement from Executive Director Lisa Wozniak and Board President George Davis: 

“Justice and people-centered power are core values defining our work to address climate and water inequities in Michigan. As such, championing and protecting civil rights is at the center of all we do. In recent years, we have watched the U.S. Supreme Court gut voting rights, and now it is on the cusp of restricting the rights of women all across the country to make decisions about their own bodies. This draft opinion is an outrageous overreach by Justices who, at their confirmation hearings, testified that overturning Roe v. Wade was not on their agenda. Neither the Constitution nor the people support this egregious abuse of power to overturn nearly 50 years of legal precedent by a bare majority on our highest court.” 

“Overturning Roe would devastate communities, especially communities of color, low-income communities, and rural communities who already face significant barriers to accessing care and are the same groups most harmed by pollution, climate change and restrictions on voting rights. Taking reproductive choice away from women in the only developed country without universal paid maternity leave and the highest health care costs per capita will only exacerbate existing racial and economic injustices in our most vulnerable communities.  

“During this tumultuous time, we should reflect on the words of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg who once said, ‘There will never be a time in this country when women of means won’t have a choice. A woman who can afford a plane ticket, a bus ticket will always be able to choose whether to have an abortion. The women who won’t have that choice are poor women. That doesn’t make sense.’”

“Without choice, there is no freedom. Access to reproductive care is central to building the just and equitable democracy we seek. We stand with our allies leading the movement for reproductive freedom and justice.”