The Supreme Court has confirmed that a leaked draft ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade decision was authentic but not final. The landmark case granting constitutional rights to abortion may be wiped away within months.
The White House released a statement to reiterate, at least for the moment, a woman’s “right to choose is fundamental.” Pres. Biden promised to codify Roe v. Wade. It would take 60 votes in the Senate to make that happen, a political feat that may be beyond Biden’s reach.
In the wake, activists, advocates and allies for reproductive rights have mobilized across Los Angeles, California and the country to plan responses – from legal remedy to social protest.
CALÓ NEWS hit the streets to interview Long Beach residents at an action rally hosted at the Gov. George Deukmejian Courthouse and led by LA F.U.E.R.Z.A., a student club at the California State University, Long Beach.
Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Jennifer Chavez, 18, Long Beach (She/They)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
It’s important to keep abortion safe, because abortion [is] health care. It’s something we all should be able to have if needed. The same, I feel with therapy or medication, it’s there for us to utilize if we need it, if we want it. Personally, I come from a background where my family should have probably never had kids. So I understand if you’re not ready to have a kid financially, emotionally, it’s good to have that choice to not want to have a baby.
WHO WILL BE MOST IMPACTED BY THE REVERSAL OF ROE v. WADE?
This is not just a matter of people of color, it’s a matter of everyone. Honestly, the intersectionality in these rights is very important, especially because this directly impacts people of color, those marginalized [and] low-income communities. It’s really important that we all come together and show solidarity, to show that we’re not going anywhere.
We’re here and we’re fighting.
Lynda Howard, 20, Long Beach (They/Them)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
The right to abortion is the right to healthcare and healthcare should be a universal right. The control over our reproductive rights has been a tool of white supremacy and colonialism and imperialism for so many years, and it still continues to be that to this day.
WHO WILL BE MOST IMPACTED BY THE REVERSAL OF ROE v. WADE?
The lower class. The people in power are trying to retain that power and control the lower class and the already marginalized people, but we are the majority and it’s and it’s time to make sure that they know that. Make sure they know the power that we wield, and that we’re not going to stand there and let them just toy with our autonomy because this is our life.
Melissa Ramirez, 20, Long Beach (She/Her)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
For a great abortion experience. Often, we’re more likely to get looked down upon when it comes to getting an abortion as a black woman or Latina woman. It’s very hard for us to get those resources and rights.
WHO WILL BE MOST IMPACTED BY THE REVERSAL OF ROE v. WADE?
Minorities of color. Reproductive rights are very different when it comes to a white woman getting her reproductive rights. With women who are minorities getting their reproductive rights, we often do not get heard or do not get seen because we’re often oppressed. Someone did talk on stage, she was a white woman. She expressed her experience was very, very positive. She got the resources, she got the counseling. But I didn’t get that. And I felt like I didn’t have anybody to talk to. She had somebody to talk to. And I had nobody to talk to because I was gonna get backlash. And not only that, you know, minorities, we often come from a low-income family [and are] most likely to deal with abusive relationships. And I feel like that often doesn’t get talked about and I feel that we should get talked about because we need more diversity when it comes to that. It’s not just a white woman’s experience, we also need to include everybody else.
Randy Santiago, 21, Los Angeles (He/Him)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
Low-income communities need have access to safe abortion. Abortion has been happening and will continue to happen. It’s just a safety measure, right? So, we need to make sure that it’s accessible. Even at the moment, it’s not accessible because it costs a lot for abortion.
WHO WILL BE MOST IMPACTED BY THE REVERSAL OF ROE v. WADE?
Definitely Black, Indigenous and people of color. It’s usually white, wealthy individuals who have the opportunity to get an abortion. So, a legal free abortion would mean that our communities will have an opportunity to life and an opportunity to freedom opportunity, to dictate their own future and not have someone else tell them what they can and can’t do.
Gabie Gutierrez, 24, Long Beach (They/She)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
We need legal abortion, legal [and] safe abortion. This would be a really bad blow, so I really just want to be out here and show up and fight for who is going to be affected by this. God forbid [it] passes.
WHO WILL BE MOST IMPACTED BY THE REVERSAL OF ROE v. WADE?
It affects the safety and peace and overall better quality of life for our loved ones, who [are] women or nonbinary or trans, who tend to really get [screwed] over by the system a lot of the times.
Fernando Gil, 20 , Long Beach (He/Him)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
It’s important to be human and to care. For those that identify themselves as human. It’s a human thing, It’s a human issue. If you don’t stand up for this, you don’t believe in humanity. But beyond that, it’s a human issue that affects real people, real hearts, real minds. We got to take care of each other like that.
Julian Picasso, 19 , Long Beach (He/Him)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
The act of abortion is as old as reproduction itself. It’s just a safe way. It’s basic healthcare.
Luis Ortiz, 18, Long Beach (He/Him)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
Abortion is healthcare because this is the safest way to distribute abortions when people want it. Because, as we know, abortion does not stop when you ban abortion, abortion keeps on going. That leads women to go to back-alley abortions, to unsafe abortions and things that are lethal and are dangerous to women. Anyone who needs an abortion, not just women.
Kendra Gonzalez, 20, Long Beach (She/They)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
Abortions are a basic human right. For anyone, for trans bodies, disabled bodies, for women. It’s just a basic human right.
Lexie Orr, 20, Long Beach (She/Her)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
Abortion is a human right for anyone with a uterus and if abortion is not accessible, people with uteruses will try to get abortion in very unsafe means and that could cause death. Having accessible abortion also means having accessible healthcare. It’s just very much safer for anyone with uteruses both physically, emotionally and mentally.
Daniela Lara, 20, Long Beach (She/Her)
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADVOCATE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE?
Safe abortions are important [and] can save lives. We need to make them accessible for low-income people, people of color, Black [people] and people of all genders who need to have them.