The Southwest Women’s Law Center Issues Statement on the Commemoration of Roe v. Wade

January 20, 2023, by SWLC

Today marks what would have been the 50^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. But last June, the Supreme Court of the United States eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, decimating access and jeopardizing people’s health, lives, and economic security.

• Abortion access is workplace justice. Abortion is an exercise of self-determination that enables workers to plan out their futures, advance their education and careers, and maintain and improve their economic security.
• People who are denied an abortion are four times more likely to live below the poverty line.
• The Court’s decision to overturn the right to abortion is an attack on workers everywhere, especially workers who are lower-paid, people of color, women, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+.  
• While we mourn the loss of Roe, we acknowledge that the abortion access crisis started long before Roe was overturned – for too long, access to abortion has been dependent on where you live and how much money you make.  
• Today, while we commemorate Roe, we also recommit ourselves to building a world where communities thrive, and workers can exercise their full agency, determine their own reproductive futures, and live with dignity.

In New Mexico, we have been working to prepare for this year’s legislative session to make sure that those outside our state do not implement unnecessary and dangerous restrictions in reproductive healthcare. We are also leading the Paid Family & Medical Leave Act to ensure that no family will face economic uncertainty due to a health condition or family caregiving responsibilities.

For more information about Paid Family & Medical Leave, visit our website here: Southwest Women’s Law Center, Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (swwomenslaw.org)

For more information about the Reproductive Healthcare bills that the ACLU has been working on see this article: https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2023/01/19/legislators-to-push-for-two-reproductive-bills-in-a-post-roe-world/