ILWU Statement on the U.S. Supreme Court Overturning Roe v. Wade
June 24, 2022
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) strongly condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning the longstanding precedent, Roe v. Wade, that protected reproductive health care rights for Americans for half a century. Since the late 1930s, the Supreme Court has expanded rights; this decision to take rights away represents a dangerous shift for all Americans and the rights we take for granted.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade is a direct attack on people’s fundamental right to reproductive health care and bodily autonomy. The impact of the criminalization of reproductive health care that some states will enact in the wake of this decision will be borne disproportionally by working-class people and people who do not have the means to travel to states with more rights.
It is clear from Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion that the Supreme Court is not going to stop here and the extremists on the Court intend to take more rights away from Americans. Justice Thomas explicitly calls on the Court to reconsider precedents that protect the rights to contraception, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage.
The vast majority of Americans overwhelmingly support reproductive rights. Five of the nine sitting Justices were appointed by presidents who did not win the popular vote. The anti-majoritarian features of our Constitution are being wielded by the extreme right-wing to block policies supported by the majority.
The ILWU stands firmly in solidarity with all of those impacted by this decision and the right of all people to have access to reproductive health care and bodily autonomy. We urge Congress to pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.
An Injury to One is an Injury to All.