Opinion by Judy Shepard (June 24, 2022)

I wish I had the words to describe how angry, sad, and disappointed I am to hear today’s SCOTUS decision.  But I am just numb. It is unconscionable that judges have the right to decide my health care and overturn longstanding precedent, declaring that women are not capable or worthy of controlling their own lives.  I have lost all faith in the Supreme Court as a non-partisan, neutral entity, not influenced by religious Christian ideology.

Yet, we must focus on the fight ahead, as the scope of intended and unintended consequences of this decision directly impacts the LGBTQ+ community. I cannot overstress the affect that this opinion may have on gender-affirming health care, contraception, assisted reproduction, and the criminalization of parents and medical professionals working to ensure our youth has access to this level of care. It is also reasonable to assume the court’s willingness to overturn precedent could extend to marriage equality, as the decision opens the door to weakening so many of the protections we’ve worked so hard to gain. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – we must get out and vote!  Our right to privacy is on the ballot in 2022!