FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2022
Contact: Stephanie Gomory, Communications Director, [email protected], 802-223-6304 x111
Montpelier, Vt. - The following statement was issued by ACLU of Vermont executive director James Lyall in response to reports of a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade:
“If the Supreme Court issues a majority opinion along the lines of the leaked draft authored by Justice Alito, the dire consequences for our reproductive freedoms will be the most of significant of any opinion the Court has ever issued.
If the Supreme Court overturns five decades of precedent, more than half the states in the country are poised to ban abortion, and politicians will undoubtedly try to go further to restrict and repeal fundamental liberties nationwide.
State-level protections are now more vital than ever to safeguarding abortion rights. In Vermont, that means passing the Reproductive Liberty Amendment this November, to explicitly enshrine the right to reproductive healthcare in our state constitution. The right to decide if and when to become a parent is central to an individual’s dignity and well-being, and Vermonters this year will have the opportunity to protect and affirm that fundamental right for ourselves, our neighbors, and for future generations.
No matter how this case is ultimately decided, the ACLU and our allies across the country will never stop fighting for the right of individuals to make reproductive healthcare decisions for themselves – including decisions about contraception, abortion, prenatal care, and childbirth. We will not tolerate having this fundamental right taken away.”
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