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NYCLA Issues Statement on SCOTUS ruling on Dobbs v. Mississippi
statement-letter
NYCLA Issues Statement on SCOTUS ruling on Dobbs v. Mississippi
Statements & Letters
Published On:
Jun 24, 2022
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
June 24, 2022
Contact: Toni Valenti
New York County Lawyers Association Issues Statement on
SCOTUS ruling on Dobbs v. Mississippi
The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA), which represents 7500 attorneys, today issued the following statement:
By now everyone knows that the Supreme Court has overruled Roe v. Wade, a year shy of its 50th anniversary. It is worth noting that it took nearly 60 years for the Supreme Court to overrule Plessy v. Ferguson, which it did in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. These are the time frames on which the Supreme Court works. What makes the Dobbs v. Mississippi decision so disturbing to us at NYCLA is that this is one of the few times in our nation’s history where the Supreme Court has overruled a decision in a direction which restricts rather than expands a previously recognized individual right. Whatever a person’s individual views about abortion may be, at NYCLA we believe those decisions of conscience are individual decisions that should not be resolved by the coercive power of the state.
The debate will now shift to the 50 states, where the political battles will be intense, and with widely varying results. Opponents of abortion can also be expected to push for a nationwide abortion ban, and if they succeed in capturing control of Congress in the midterms, ironically, the filibuster rule, which has thwarted progressive initiatives in the past, may be the bulwark against an abortion ban.
After a more than generation-long fight to overrule Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has taken an activist direction that concerns us including hard-ball tactics around the Merrick Garland and Amy Coney Barrett nominations. In a week that included over-turning New York’s concealed carry gun control law, we at NYCLA find the consequences frightening, and we intend to continue pushing for legislation in New York—and everywhere else—that would make abortions safe, affordable, and available to all who want them. Because the right to choose is fundamental to affording women an equal place in our society, there are few battles more important to fight.
About the New York County Lawyers Association
The New York County Lawyers Association (www.nycla.org) was founded in 1908 as one of the first major bar associations in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or gender, and has a long history of supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Since its inception, NYCLA has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence. For more information on NYCLA please visit nycla.org.
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