Mabel Wadsworth Center Statement Regarding Fourth Anniversary of Dobbs Decision

Four years ago today, the Supreme Court of the United States passed down a ruling that paved the way for states to deny the personhood and humanity of roughly half the population. Commonly referred to as the “Dobbs decision,” SCOTUS’ ruling removed the federal protections of Roe, allowing states to implement draconian abortion bans and restrictions. Any attempt to restrict, limit, or prevent abortion access and bodily autonomy is draconian.

We must hold two truths about Roe–it was never enough, and its loss has been harrowing. Even with the protections of Roe, abortion access was not guaranteed for many across this country, and harmful restrictions abounded. Roe was the floor, not the ceiling, and it was a floor that failed to hold up many. The protections of Roe also prevented states from implementing full abortion bans, and gave many in need of abortion care a path forward. We hold these truths of importance and incomplete protection with our grief.

Anti-abortion legislation and attitudes are always about control. They are rooted in misogyny and have a ripple effect that harms women and all people of marginalized genders, including nonbinary people, transgender men, and others that may need abortion care. Anti-abortion extremism goes hand-in-hand with anti-trans and anti-queer extremism–it is a Venn diagram that is a circle. We see this in state legislatures that restrict abortion access alongside restricting trans rights. Patriarchal control is far-reaching and suffocating.

On this anniversary, we do not only mourn the loss of rights for those who need abortion care, though that is enough to mourn in its own right. We also mourn for those whose lives have been willingly and deliberately taken by abortion bans. Josseli Barnica. Amber Nicole Thurman. Nevaeh Crain. Candi Miller. These are only a handful of the names we know, and do not account for the many names we may never know. These were women with lives and dreams and hopes. Their families are left to mourn them because their lives were devalued by anti-abortion laws and politicians.

Maine laws may be protective of abortion access, but that does not mean that we can sit back. “Leaving it to the states” was never going to be enough for anti-abortion extremists, and we continue to face federal attacks on abortion rights. Additionally, Mainers being protected isn’t enough–where you live should not determine your rights or access to the care you know you need. Our friends in Texas and other banned states deserve every freedom we have and more. Abortion is normal, common, essential care, and while we mourn, we also fight.