The US Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade

From KBFPC CEO Claudia Haines:

Dear Friends,

Today, my daughter has fewer rights, not more, than I did at her age. She now has less control over her body and her future than her brother. That is hard to write.

Have you heard? The Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision, overturned Roe v. Wade which provided Federal protection of abortion recognizing that the Constitution of the United States provides the right to privacy and protects a woman or pregnant person’s liberty to choose to have an abortion. The effects of abortion bans and restrictions will fall hardest on people who already face significant barriers to health care, including people working to make ends meet, young people, LGBTQ+ people, and Black, Indigenous, and all people of color. Around the world, people are stunned at this erosion of the human right to comprehensive reproductive health in the US.

What is next? Abortion is legal in Alaska and our right to private health care decisions is protected in the State constitution, for now. However, according to the Guttmacher Institute, in more than 22 states and counting, people like my daughter will now not be able to make autonomous decisions about their reproductive health or have unrestricted access to the care they need to survive and thrive. Overturning the Roe v. Wade decision could also usher in an era of severely restricted access to contraception if states like ours seek to re-classify and enact additional prohibitions on birth control methods like IUDs and emergency contraception. Access to every method of contraception allows each of us to choose the method that best fits our health and needs.

What does this SCOTUS decision mean for KBFPC and the Kenai Peninsula community? KBFPC will continue to provide our clients – anyone who walks through our doors – evidence-based information about the full range of contraception and pregnancy options available. We offer access to a wide range of contraception methods in stock, and referrals for prenatal or abortion care so that each of our clients can make autonomous, informed decisions about what is best for them.

Abortion services and contraception are integral parts of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care which allows each of us the personal freedom to make decisions about our own bodies and live with dignity and respect. Access to contraception will ever negate the need for abortion; both are essential health care services that must be made available to everyone who seeks them.

See you at the Homer Bans Off Our Bodies Rally on July 9th.