Washington, D.C.—Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) issued the below statement following media release of a draft Supreme Court decision overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling:

“The Supreme Court is apparently poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, immediately stripping women in our country of a sacred right we have relied on for half a century. Women across America woke up this morning fearing for their futures and for their sisters and daughters. It is impossible to express the severity of the situation we now face. A constitutional right has been needlessly and carelessly revoked.

“The vast majority of Americans agree that women should be able to make their own decisions about their own health and their own bodies. If the Supreme Court does ultimately issue this opinion, many more states, including North Carolina, could be emboldened to enact abortion bans. I know from decades spent fighting to protect women’s health on the ground here in North Carolina that women, doctors, and our precious reproductive rights will inevitably come under serious, sustained attack. We cannot give up. We must not back down.

“The House has already passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which will safeguard the right to access abortion care free from political interference. Now it rests in the hands of the Senate. I hope each and every Senator feels the extraordinary weight of protecting the health of tens of millions of women as they consider their votes in the days and weeks ahead.”

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