Disability Rights Ohio Condemns Supreme Court's Rollback of Abortion Rights

June 30, 2022

Disability Rights Ohio condemns in the strongest way last week’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, restricting reproductive freedom and jeopardizing health care options for people across the country.

As a civil rights organization first and foremost, our work is rooted in fostering a society of true equity and inclusion. That vision cannot be realized as long as individuals lack access to necessary health care and the autonomy to make choices about their own bodies.

Make no mistake: The impacts of this decision will disproportionally harm the same groups already marginalized by our society. LGBTQIA+, people of color, people with disabilities, people living in poverty, and other oppressed communities will bear the brunt of this radical reversal.

In reaching this decision, the majority cited and heralded decrees from judges made hundreds of years ago. Basing today’s law on the antiquated, prejudiced, and embarrassing views and interpretations of our nation’s past – romanticizing a time when people of color, women, and people with disabilities were explicitly viewed as undeserving of rights – places a target on every step forward we’ve made.

Unfortunately, these steps backwards are not unsurprising. Extremist views like these are a tool of the oppressor to maintain the marginalization of those they see as undesirable. While this setback brings pain, it also sets a new rallying cry in our advocacy for true equity. The fight continues.