On the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and Women’s Caucus Chair Lottie Shackelford released the following statement:

“Fifty one years ago today, an essential, fundamental right for women was recognized. It was a right that gave them freedom, a right that gave them power, a right that gave them a choice. With this right – the constitutional right to have an abortion – women had control over their futures and their bodies. Tragically, 49 years after women were guaranteed this fundamental right, Roe v. Wade was overturned, and in states across the country, the right to a safe and legal abortion was once again taken away. 

“There’s no question about where to point the finger of blame for this devastating Supreme Court decision: Donald Trump has proudly bragged that he was “able to kill Roe v. Wade,” and now, inspired by their MAGA leader, extreme Republicans will stop at nothing until a national abortion ban is instituted across the country.

“A national abortion ban will set the clock back on the progress and gains that women have made. It could criminalize providers and put women’s health and safety at risk. However, as long as President Biden and Vice President Harris occupy the White House, the American people have two champions who believe in reproductive freedom and will not stop fighting until the protections of Roe are once again the law of the land. The stakes this November could not be higher, and the American people will remember that their fundamental freedoms are on the line at the ballot box.”