FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 7, 2022
CONTACT: Billy Wolfe bwolfe@acluwv.org
EVENT INFO: 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at West Virginia State Capitol https://www.facebook.com/events/717324863019741
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Outraged by the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the legal right to abortion, West Virginians will convene on Charleston this weekend to send a clear message to lawmakers: “We dissent, and we will NOT go back.”
“Right now, West Virginians are being forced to travel hundreds to thousands of miles from their home to access basic, safe abortion care. They are being forced to miss work and pay hundreds of extra dollars on things like gas, lodging, and childcare,” said Katie Quinonez, Women’s Health Center of West Virginia executive director. “West Virginians deserve better. It's time to use our collective rage to make it clear to lawmakers: we demand affordable and accessible abortion, and we will not back down.”
“The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the constitutional right to abortion has been devastating for West Virginians who can no longer legally access abortion in our state,” said Ixya Vega, Planned Parenthood field organizer. “Abortion bans strip us of our freedom to control our own bodies and make decisions that are best for our health, our families, our faith, and our futures.
“Abortion bans especially harm Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other people of color because of this country's legacy of racism and discrimination,” Vega continued. “This decision won’t stop us. We will rebuild and reclaim the freedom that is ours. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We urge the people of West Virginia to raise their voices and urge our state lawmakers to protect our reproductive freedom.”
“Abortion is lifesaving, essential healthcare,” said Mollie Kennedy, ACLU-WV advocacy director. “Whether you can have an abortion should never depend on where you live, who you are, or how much money you make, but West Virginia’s poorest people are currently being denied the care they need because of this shameful ruling.”
WV FREE CEO Margaret Chapman-Pomponio said: “Abortion in West Virginia has been a political football, but this is not a game, and taking away access to abortion in our Mountain State is hurting our people.
“This is totally out of step with the majority of West Virginians’ beliefs and priorities,” she continued. “We are calling on the voters of West Virginia to turn their outrage into action by telling our elected leaders that we expect them to protect public health by repealing the draconian crime of abortion in our state code. We need lawmakers to get us out of the 19th century, and to do so swiftly.”
The event will be live-streamed on partner organizations’ social media accounts.