Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, a long champion of women’s rights and equality, released a statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

“Today is a sad and enraging day in our country. The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for decades and provided women, non-binary, and transgender individuals the basic human right to choose what happens to their bodies. Last year, I joined 187 of my House colleagues in signing on to an amicus brief in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case. Our brief urged the Supreme Court to uphold nearly 50 years of precedent in Roe v. Wade and protect the constitutional right to abortion care by overturning Mississippi’s clearly unconstitutional abortion ban. Moreover, I am an original cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which passed the House last year. The bill safeguards abortion access from dozens of state-level bans and restrictions and creates a national legal right for health care providers to provide abortions. It also creates a corresponding right for their patients to receive reproductive health care that is free from restrictions.

“So, I am appalled that the Supreme Court has reached this conclusion. Bodily autonomy is a human right, first and foremost, and one that is deeply connected to economic progress and financial autonomy. This decision is an attack on women, trans men, and non-binary persons everywhere and will harm their economic stability and undermine their ability to provide for their families. Deciding to carry a pregnancy to full term is a deeply personal decision and should be a choice that every individual has.

“This is only the beginning of the extreme Republican agenda to take away our freedoms. We will march and protest this decision by the thousands. We will fight to control our bodies no matter how much they try to stop us. We will not stop until we have our rights back and if they think we will be intimidated, they are wrong.

“And I am committed to continue this fight in Congress and urge my colleagues to take legislative action and protect abortion rights to ensure that all people have a right to choose for their families and for their futures.”

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