When Civil Rights are under attack, we stand up in solidarity. Yesterday’s looming decision to overturn Roe Vs. Wade does not come by surprise as right-wing officials and anti-abortion extremists have tried to seize autonomy over Abortion and Reproductive Rights for nearly 49 years. As Blacks continue to be the target of a hidden racist agenda of those behind abortion and birth control organizations because of the belief that autonomy over one's body is a civil right – choice makes overturning Roe Vs. Wade so problematic. We saw its peak in 2019, as Georgia State Governor Brian Kemp and members of GOP’s State Legislature passed House Bill 481 - a six-week abortion ban that would criminalize healthcare providers and women for accessing early-stage abortions. Though the bill was struck down in a federal judge ruling, the recent decision to overturn Roe Vs. Wade may require laws similar to HB481 to go into effect almost immediately. This will most drastically affect women within its marginalized communities, where over 75% of Planned Parenthood surgical abortion facilities are strategically located. We at the Georgia NAACP shall not be moved by the racist, narcissistic, and misogynistic tactics of white supremacy. Instead, we will lead through direct action until there is the freedom to make our own decisions about our bodies, our lives, and our futures. The Georgia NAACP now calls on Congress to stand in solidarity and pass H.R. 3755 - the “Women’s Health and Protection Act” to codify our system's laws in an effort to protect the bodily autonomy of our women and our communities of color.
