The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) issued a statement on Tuesday blasting the Supreme Court’s leaked drafted opinion to reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
“They’ve taken our voting rights, they’ve gone after our healthcare, and now they’re coming after our reproductive rights. Which right are they going to overturn next?” the organization said in its statement.
“They’ve hijacked the courts to roll our nation back to a dangerous, dangerous era. Indeed, they are attacking the will of the majority with surgical precision.”
The organziation also said that they feel the anguish many people are experiencing with this news, saying that this isn’t the time to remain silent on this issue anymore.
“We feel the fear. We feel the anger. We’ve been here before, and there’s no way we’re ever going back. The fight is on,” the NAACP said. “Our democracy and our rights are quite literally on the edge of cliff. This is not a moment for anyone to stay silent.”
This comes as many prominent figures and organizations have shared strong responses over a Politico report on Monday that detailed a drafted opinion piece written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that signaled the overturned of the landmark 1973 decision, which established the constitutional right to an abortion.
In a joint statement, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus said the overturning of the landmark decisions will have a “disproportionately, devastating” impact on the Black community.
“The draft Supreme Court opinion should alarm every American who, like me, believes in the right to choose and opposes forced pregnancy, which would have a disproportionate impact on Black and Brown women. I voted for the Women’s Health Protection Act when it passed the House last September,” Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) said in a statement.
“The Senate has made more than 160 exceptions to the filibuster – the ‘Swiss cheese filibuster,’ as I call it. It is time for senators to make an exception to protect one of Americans’ most fundamental rights – the right to choose. And this looming threat from the Trump-McConnell court should show everyone that elections matter.”