Statement by National NOW President Christian F. Nunes
WASHINGTON — This weekend, we should be celebrating 50 years of a woman’s constitutional right to abortion. Instead, last year’s decision sent us back to square one. While Roe was a watershed moment that catapulted women closer to achieving full equality, Dobbs reversed half a century of progress – not just for women but the country as a whole.
Radical politicians and extremist jurists have made it clear how little they value women’s lives and with Roe gone, there is little to prevent them from implementing reckless policies that will dismantle women’s rights. We must reflect on Roe’s legacy to remind us that our fight continues. When Roe was passed, it brought relief to millions of people because it promised bodily autonomy. However, it will take generations to reverse the damage that was done in just one year.
Until women receive total constitutional equality, we will be trapped in this cyclical pattern of fighting for rights that we have already earned. But NOW vows to continue our work to end this cycle. Women are not objects to be controlled to advance a political agenda. Although we cannot celebrate the 50th anniversary of Roe, we continue to stand as one — fighting for reproductive equity and equality.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.