Optio has worked for a decade to advance the reproductive rights of women and girls in Central America. Never once did we think that we would have to turn our attention to the United States of America, a country thought of by many as a bastion of freedom and personal rights.
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States repealed Roe v. Wade, thereby removing a right to abortion that has been established for almost 50 years. Doing so moved the decision of whether to allow abortion into the hands of states, many of whom have already chosen to deny that right through trigger laws.
Our colleagues around the world, from Europe to South Africa, are astounded that America has taken this enormous step backward, choosing to perpetrate harm onto those who are most vulnerable: those whose rights have already been violated and those who do not have the resources to make a choice.
This ruling could be just the beginning. There are no guarantees that future federal laws will not prohibit abortion entirely or that states won’t decide to persecute women who travel to exercise their personal right to abortion.
At Optio, we condemn this ruling, as well as any other action that limits the ability of women and girls to make decisions about their own bodies and on whether and when to have a child.
Today, we start a new chapter: to liberate American women from the tyranny of an archaic and extreme conservative movement, a movement that claims to value life but inherently disregards it by giving little or no thought to what those lives would look like. We trust that you stand with us and all American women who value their freedom.
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