FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2022
The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey denounces the decision by the United States Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade, a legal precedent that has protected women’s right to choose to have an abortion under the United States Constitution for the last 50 years. This decision is shocking and a dangerous setback for the rule of law and gender equality, as it deprives women and girls in the United States of the legal protections necessary to ensure that all women have access to and the right to choose to have a safe abortion with dignity and privacy, without discrimination. This decision will be devastating, particularly for Latina women, who represent the nation’s largest racial minority group and who already face limited access to health care.
The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey calls on President Joe Biden to take all necessary measures to mitigate its consequences and issue executive orders protecting access to safe abortion, and provide funding to states for the provision of safe abortion services. We also remind State legislatures that it is still within their power to protect abortion rights and access to abortion services at a state level. Banning abortions will have an immediate and irreparable impact on women, taking from them a right that has been central to their ability to plan their lives, families, and careers.
The President of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, Tabatha L. Castro, had this to say: “The burdens of this ruling will disproportionately fall on women of color, immigrants, those struggling to make ends meet and our youth. The decision to continue a pregnancy or terminate it must fundamentally be a woman’s decision. Forcing women to carry a pregnancy against their will, will make it harder to escape poverty, disrupting their education, career and life plans, and making it more difficult to leave an abusive partner. The impact of this decision will fall hardest on those belonging to racial minorities and those living in poverty who already struggle to access fundamental health care. The United States Supreme Court reversed nearly 50 years of precedent and I am afraid of what is next. We must take a stand and unite to support a women’s fundamental right to choose.” The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey will keep fighting for polices affirming abortion as a human right.
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About The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey
Founded in 1980, the HBA-NJ is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association that is comprised of attorneys, judges, law professors, law students, and other professionals who share a common interest in addressing the issues affecting Hispanics within the legal community.
The purpose of the Association is to serve the public interest: (i) by cultivating the art and science of jurisprudence, (ii) by advancing the standing of the legal profession, and (iii) by preserving high standards of integrity, honor, and professional courtesy among Hispanic lawyers.
Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey
P.O. Box 25562, Newark, NJ 07101
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For press inquiries, please contact: Jessica Ramirez, Esq., at jr@djd.law and/or Arianna Moure, Esq., at amoure@sh-law.com, HBA-NJ Press Secretaries.
For more information about the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, please visit our website at: www.njhba.org or contact Tabatha Castro, Esq., HBA-NJ President, at Tabatha@thecastrofirm.com.
