Last night, I joined Marylanders and folks across the country in shock as I read the draft Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which strikes down Roe v. Wade and guts abortion protections in the United States. If this draft decision stands, the Supreme Court will strip Americans of their reproductive rights and put at risk the lives and health of tens of millions of women. This deeply damaging and draconian opinion would overturn almost fifty years of precedent – following the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade to uphold a woman’s constitutional right to choose – and would undermine the will of the American people. 

Today, the Supreme Court verified the authenticity of the leaked opinion authored by Associate Justice Samuel Alito on behalf of himself and four other Justices – three of whom were appointed by Donald Trump. Trump’s nominees to the Supreme Court claimed to respect precedent. It’s now clear that they lied.  

Even if this draft decision doesn’t reflect the final judgment of the Court, the right to choose will still be under threat. So long as this ultra-conservative majority holds power on the bench, the future of reproductive freedom in our country hangs in the balance. Five Justices could throw nearly fifty years of settled law out the window at any moment and snuff out the rights of people in America to make their own choices about their bodies. 

I am determined to fight with everything we’ve got to protect reproductive rights in our nation. We must act immediately to codify Roe v. Wade, and we can’t let anything stand in our way.

               Chris Van Hollen