Following the decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, the Los Angeles LGBT Center issued the following statement:
“The Los Angeles LGBT Center condemns the decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. This ruling would end 49 years of access to reproductive healthcare and critical protections for people seeking an abortion,” said incoming Chief Executive Officer Joe Hollendoner. “As the world’s largest provider of services to the LGBTQ community, we know access to abortion is basic healthcare for many members of our community.”
The Supreme Court’s decision erodes basic human rights. It creates more barriers to healthcare—threatening the lives and well-being of those attempting to access an abortion. “Let there be no mistake about this,” said Hollendoner. “The decision puts federally-secured rights for LGBTQ people at risk. If the Supreme Court can overturn established law like Roe v. Wade, the reversal of marriage equality and other rights could also be reversed. We call on Congress to act to pass the Equality Act and federal legislation to make abortion legal throughout the United States.”
Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, 26 states are likely to ban abortion, and experts are estimating that California could see a nearly 3,000 percent increase of out-of-state patients seeking an abortion.
“Abortion access is queer liberation,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kaiyti Duffy. “By reversing the constitutional right to privacy and disregarding bodily autonomy, no aspect of our personal lives is safe from the radical agenda of right-wing extremists. Furthermore, this decision sets a dangerous precedent for the degradation of rights of LGBTQ Americans who have fought long and hard for equality and justice. Abortion is a medical procedure performed by trained health care providers. Health and medical decisions should be decided between a licensed medical provider and their patient. For the Supreme Court, with little medical expertise, to decide what services can be offered to a patient is irresponsible and unethical.”
“The Los Angeles LGBT Center will continue to fight for body autonomy and to preserve the basic human rights of all people,” said Hollendoner. “We are committed to working with our allies to ensure that anyone wishing to have an abortion continues to have access here in California.”
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is, and has always been, a home for all people. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world, a world in which all people can thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.