03 May Mississippi Center for Justice, Co-Counsel in Dobbs v. Jackson: “Leaked SCOTUS Decision Is A Dark Day for Women”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 3, 2022

Contact: Nikita Sibley, nsibley@rabengroup.com, 850-345-7092

Mississippi Center for Justice, Co-Counsel in Dobbs v. Jackson: “Leaked SCOTUS Decision Is A Dark Day for Women” 

Jackson, MS – The Supreme Court is poised to allow states to outlaw abortion, according to a written draft of the justices’ opinion that leaked to the media last night. If the leaked document reflects the final order of the Court, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey will both be overruled. Until the final order is released by the Supreme Court, abortion remains legal in Mississippi. 

Vangela M. Wade, President and CEO of Mississippi Center for Justice– which served as co-counsel on Dobbs v. Jackson–issued the following statement: 

“America is poised to turn back the clocks to a time that no young person today will – or should – recognize. If the draft SCOTUS decision on Dobbs stands, it will be a drastic miscarriage of 50 years of jurisprudence. It is only a draft and hopefully in the end, a majority of the Court will forego this drastic path of overruling Roe v. Wade in its entirety. 

For the present, abortion remains legal in Mississippi. But if the majority ultimately overrules Roe, abortion will become illegal in Mississippi and many other states. This will be catastrophic for women, particularly poor women, who are disproportionally Black and brown, and all those who will not have the time, resources or ability to travel out of state to places where abortion is still legal. 

 The right to choose is absolutely essential. A woman and her doctor should be the ultimate arbiter of reproductive rights, not self-proclaimed ‘pro-life’ policymakers. Across Mississippi and this country, people, especially women, are struggling to survive, with dwindling access to basic needs like shelter, food and health care. They should be allowed to continue making their own decisions in matters of child-bearing as they have for the past fifty years.” 

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The Mississippi Center for Justice is dedicated to dismantling the state’s culture of inequity and injustice. Supported and staffed by attorneys and other professionals, the Center pursues strategies to combat discrimination and poverty statewide.