SF Public Defender Mano Raju Reacts to U.S. Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
The recent Supreme Court ruling that in effect overturned Roe v. Wade is outrageous and unjust. States that choose to deny reproductive rights will cause terrible, and in some cases deadly, health outcomes. As public defenders who see the injustices and harms caused by our criminal system everyday, we are particularly concerned about criminalization in these states for those seeking or performing abortions, which as the law almost always does, will largely fall on and further oppress poor and BIPOC communities.
As the son of Indian immigrants who came to the United States largely thanks to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, I remain committed to the rights and self-determination of everyone who calls this country home. Bans on abortion are gender-based and racial violence. We must normalize and protect the health choices for everyone in this country, including people from immigrant communities, who deserve to live free of stigma and with full access to safe, legal, and affordable abortion and other reproductive health care from medical providers who understand cultural and linguistic needs.
We must push for and fund bold solutions that ensure affordable and accessible abortions to protect public health and community well-being. We will not stop fighting for the rights and resources that all communities need in order for people to live freely with sovereignty over their own bodies.
