STATEMENT: Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade will harm low-income North Carolinians

Let us be clear: abortion is still legal in North Carolina, despite the devastating impact of today’s ruling.

We mourn the Court’s ruling while we look to our colleagues throughout the state for guidance and to determine how this decision will impact North Carolinians. Communities of color, people with low incomes, and those who already experience barriers to accessing health care will be most impacted by this ruling. All people seeking an abortion will face additional obstacles to obtaining safe medical care. And, while today’s ruling affects only the issue of abortion, the majority’s rationale threatens protected Constitutional rights writ large.

This morning a majority of Americans wanted to believe the Court was a faithful guardian of the Constitution guided by the doctrine of stare decisis. No longer.

The result of today’s overruling of Roe v Wade may well be an irreparable loss of confidence in and respect for the Court and the rule of law. But one thing is certain—women have lost their protected right to equality and many will suffer; others will die as a result of today’s unfathomable decision.

For now, North Carolina law protects the right of women to reproductive choice; a right federal law no longer secures, but even as this press release issues, the wind is raging, the signs are ominous, and dark clouds are everywhere threatening to extinguish the light.

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