Published June 30, 2022
Following the Supreme Court’s 6-3 overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) decision, leadership of the Community for Global Health Equity (CGHE) at the University at Buffalo (UB), SUNY reiterate our support for an individual’s fundamental right to abortion, and safe, affordable reproductive healthcare.
Our position is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, National Education Association, World Health Organization, and countless other organizations that center their work around the health, well-being, safety, and rights of women, girls, pregnant individuals, and others in need of reproductive health care, planning, and education.
Extensive evidence demonstrates that abortion restrictions do not eliminate abortion – indeed, abortion rates are similar in countries where abortion is restricted and in those where abortion is broadly legal. Rather, restrictions increase the number of unsafe abortions, unnecessary maternal mortality, and exacerbate healthcare access inequities based on income, race, and geographic location. The U.S. already has among the highest maternal mortality rates for high-income countries, and overturning Roe is anticipated to worsen these statistics.
Given the number of women, girls, and other pregnant individuals who are young, of color, and/or living in poverty within states hostile to abortion, we view this reversal as one of the most consequential legal decisions of the twenty-first century, the fall-out of which constitutes a significant public health emergency. As leaders within higher education, we also recognize that reproductive justice and educational attainment are linked. The Dobbs ruling is anticipated to result in a loss of student access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare, with interruptions to college trajectories as well.
Thus, we encourage individuals and families, including those within New York State, to understand the kind of legal and medical assistance available in their state. There exist several organizations across the country, including in Western New York, which support faculty, students, staff, and partners with managing the stress and concerns, financial or otherwise, associated with this most personal of decisions. We also encourage individuals to vote for legislators at the local, state, and federal level who support the right to abortion and bodily autonomy.
CGHE leadership stands committed to supporting the full spectrum of safe and affordable reproductive healthcare. We also are deeply committed to our UB campus and local community, and will assist where possible with research-based, publicly-accessible information related to this ruling.
Authored by CGHE Research Hub Leadership: The Global Child and Refugee Health and Well-being
