For Immediate Release: November 30, 2021
Contact: Ryan Hite, Communications Director
Times and Science Have Changed, So Should Roe v. Wade
Washington, D.C.: “In the nearly fifty years since the Supreme Court ineptly failed to balance life and privacy with Roe v. Wade, science and time have marched on but abortion policy hasn’t,” said Ed Martin, president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles. “It’s been thirty years since the last federal revisit to abortion policy in Casey and it’s high time the High Court take another look. Tomorrow they get that very chance.”
On December 1, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state of Mississippi’s defense of its legislation restricting abortion and a full challenge to the continuing validity of the precedent of Roe v. Wade.
“The facts of science and the daily lives of American women have both changed drastically since 1973 and even 1992,” Martin continued. “Pregnancy preventatives weren’t common or reliable in ’73. At that time, nearly 1 in 3 women using contraception got pregnant, whereas we have long-term options that are 99.95% effective now. In fact, many contraception methods weren’t even invented until the mid to late 1990s that are now a standard part of over-the-counter available options.
“Similarly, in 1973 babies born before 28 weeks simply were not expected to survive. Medical advances have changed that picture, giving premature babies an 80% chance to survive further weeks and months before that Roe v. Wade-era number.”
Martin concluded: “Examining the Court’s decision in Roe and comparing to our common knowledge of medicine in 2021 makes one thing abundantly clear: Roe v. Wade is outdated. It’s time for the Supreme Court to throw out their own horrendous, antiquated precedent. It’s time to let elected, accountable legislative bodies craft policies to respect both the right to life and the protection of privacy. It’s time to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
###
