NAACP Protect Reproductive Rights Advocacy Toolkit
Supreme Court Decision to Overturn Roe V. Wade
There is no denying the fact that this is a direct attack on all women, and Black women stand to be disproportionately impacted by the court’s egregious assault on basic human rights.
– Janette McCarthy Wallace
PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS: DENIED
The deciding Justices have ignored fundamental civil rights guaranteed by our Constitution and years of judicial precedent to advance a politically partisan agenda. We must fight the Supreme Court’s egregious assault on basic human rights.
The NAACP’s National Board of Directors passed a resolution reaffirming our support for a woman’s right to body autonomy.
WHEREAS, the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees equal protection of the law to all persons, and American courts have long recognized and protected such fundamental civil and human rights as the right to vote, to marry the person of one’s choice, to be free from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability status, to have privacy and autonomy over one’s own body, and to safely exercise reproductive freedom, and;
WHEREAS, in 1920, the NAACP’s most distinguished founder W.E.B. Du Bois reflected that every woman must have the right to procreation “at her own discretion”, which the NAACP affirmed in its Resolution “March for Life” on reproductive choice, and;
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court has recognized the right to privacy as protected under the Fourteenth Amendment since 1973, but now nearly 50 years later the federal judiciary has threatened to attack this right, while many states have entirely completely denied it, negating due process and equal protection to women, with a disproportionate impact on Black women.
WHEREAS, a core tenet of human rights and reproductive justice is the right to control one’s own body regardless of geography or state of residence; and;
WHEREAS, Black women have historically experienced greater difficulty accessing reproductive health care contributing to poor maternal health outcomes, and exacerbating health disparities that affect Black women’s and men’s ability to productively engage in life, work, family, and community; and;
WHEREAS, in light of this disparate impact, Black women must rely upon federal and state governments to protect their right to reproductive freedom from unconstitutional infringement, and;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP condemns efforts by any executive, judicial, or legislative body to erode or overturn well-settled precedents recognizing and protecting reproductive rights and civil and human rights, in general; and;
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP calls upon the Congress of the United States to protect the reproductive rights of women by codifying the right to privacy and due process protections enumerated in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, et al. v. Robert P. Casey, et al., and;
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP calls upon its units to educate and advocate with state, executive, and legislative bodies to protect the reproductive rights of women by codifying them in state law and within their state constitutions.
Supreme Court Decision to Overturn Roe V. Wade
This Supreme Court is turning back the clock to a dangerous era where basic constitutional rights only exist for a select few. They've stripped away our right to vote, and now women have lost their right to their own bodies.
We must all stand up to have our voices heard in order to protect our nation from the further degradation of civil rights protections we have worked so hard to secure.
Email your senator and urge them to prioritize reproductive rights and protect democracy.
There is no denying the fact that this is a direct attack on all women, and Black women stand to be disproportionately impacted by the court's egregious assault on basic human rights.
- Janette McCarthy Wallace, NAACP General Counsel
Click HereWe need all hands on deck. This Supreme Court is turning back the clock to a dangerous era where basic constitutional rights only exist for a select few. Call your legislators and urge them to protect the same women that voted for them.
Click HereThis fight is now in our hands. Our advocacy toolkit provides insight on states' reproductive rights laws, talking points, and sharable social media posts to fuel your fight. Learn more about what you can do to take action to protect reproductive rights.
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