Overturning Roe v. Wade Further Harms Native Women

National Native org says decision violates a "sacred right"

Washington, DC (June 24, 2022) — Native Organizers Alliance responds to the decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. The following statement from Judith LeBlanc, executive director of Native Organizers Alliance, can be quoted in-full or in-part.

“Overturning Roe v. Wade is another blow to the sovereignty of Native women over their own bodies. We are just a few decades away from the forced sterilization of Native women by the U.S. government, and today’s decision is another violation of our most sacred right to bodily autonomy.

Native women are 2 to 3 times more likely to die in pregnancy than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Our women are already dying in childbirth. And the Court’s decision today puts even more at risk by forcing at-risk pregnant women to carry a pregnancy to term.

The decision ignores the humanity and rights of victims of violence. One in 3 Native women will experience violence, including sexual violence, in their lifetime. They are also more likely to be victims of sex trafficking. The Supreme Court has sentenced these women to a full-term pregnancy that has resulted from sexual violence. It is the ultimate violation of their rights.

Native Organizers Alliance has seen the power of our people when we unite to defend our rights. The fight isn’t over, and we will do all we can to support tribes and Native organizations in their work to protect and defend reproductive rights.”