Today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of federally protected freedom to access safe, timely, and legal abortion procedures across the nation. The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) firmly believes that everyone has an inalienable right to bodily autonomy and raised the alarm when a draft of the decision leaked in May. We have now arrived at a dark moment in history when the restriction of abortion care and services will place millions at risk of detrimental harm and place illegitimate limitations on individuals' right to make their own healthcare and reproductive decisions.
CPE’s guiding principle is the notion that public safety systems should be equitable; these systems are only successful if they incorporate a community-centered emphasis on care, an infrastructure of essential services, and the thoughtful allocation of resources. This ruling not only removes baseline protections for physical safety within our communities, not only violates people's right to privacy, and threatens the misuse of policing services to address deeply personal life choices, it will add exponentially to the harms already burdening vulnerable populations, especially Black and Brown communities.
A large swath of Supreme Court rulings have been issued in recent weeks that can only be described as aggressive reversals of basic human dignity laws. Thursday's Vega v. Tekoh ruling undermines protections from police abuse, and the earlier Egbert v. Boule ruling removes accountability for violence at the hands of government officials in immigration cases. Today, the Justices responsible for the fall of Roe v. Wade have doubled down on a troubling perspective, essentially proposing that “there is no inherent right to privacy or personal autonomy in various provisions of the constitution.”
At the time of this statement's writing, the State of Texas has already placed a general ban on abortions, and experts agree other states are soon to follow. History shows that the criminalization, arrests, violence, and legal persecution faced in these states by any who seek to terminate a pregnancy will land disproportionately on low-income and non-White women, with Black women, particularly southern Black women, most overrepresented.
CPE urges all those concerned with questions of public safety to take action against the dismantling of Roe v. Wade and to advocate for the expansion of systems and frameworks that support reproductive justice. We encourage you to organize and participate in peaceful protest actions and to reach out to your national representatives and state and local elected officials to voice your support for proactive protections for the full range of reproductive medical care, beyond the courts.
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About Center for Policing Equity: As a research and action organization, the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) produces analyses identifying and helping to reduce the causes of racial disparities in law enforcement. Using evidence-based approaches to social justice, we use data to create levers for social, cultural, and policy change. Center for Policing Equity also holds a 501(c)3 status.