Progress Florida’s Reproductive Rights Program Director Amy Weintraub issued the following statement today as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Thomas E. Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy:
“A ruling to uphold Mississippi’s abortion ban would seriously threaten Floridians’ rights to make fundamental decisions about our health, our lives, and our futures. Half the states in the U.S., including Florida, are poised to impose abortion bans if the Court overturns Roe. A decision to uphold the Mississippi abortion ban will leave people across the South and Midwest without access to abortion care.
Those harmed most by abortion bans already face discriminatory barriers to health care — women, Black, Indigenous & other people of color, the LGBTQI+ community, immigrants, young people, those working to make ends meet and people with disabilities.
This is a pivotal moment for the US Supreme Court to demonstrate that it decides cases based on precedent and rule of law, not politics or ideology. Abortion access is already lacking in the majority of Florida counties. The rights granted by Roe aren’t a reality for everyone. But things will get much worse here in Florida if the basic protections of Roe are taken away. We need a Florida where abortion isn’t simply legal—it must be accessible, affordable and supported in our communities.”
