YWCA Lancaster Joins YWCA USA in Standing for Reproductive Freedom at the Supreme Court

YWCA USA Submits Amicus Brief to Supreme Court On Impact Striking Down    Roe v. Wade Would Have on Young Women of Color Lancaster, PA (September 20, 2021) – Today, YWCA USA filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which will determine the future of Roe v. Wade. YWCA Lancaster stands with YWCA USA in urging the Supreme Court to protect reproductive freedom for young women and young women of color in communities across America.Since 1973, young women have been guaranteed a constitutional right to make deeply personal and sometimes difficult decisions about their futures. Previability abortion bans like the one in Mississippi disproportionately harm young women and women of color, core constituencies of YWCA. Stripping away this freedom will greatly endanger the education, health, employment, economic prospects, and quality of life of young women and young women of color.“For more than fifty years, YWCA has supported a person's freedom to make fundamental decisions about whether and when to have children.  We haven’t changed our stance on this matter of established law. Roe v. Wade is clearly established precedent, and it shouldn’t be up for debate,” said Stacie Blake, CEO of YWCA Lancaster.“Young women would face significant harm as the first generation in half a century to enter adulthood without the fundamental right to decide whether and when to have children,” said Elisha Rhodes, Interim CEO of YWCA USA. “The stakes for this decision couldn’t be higher - the right to access safe and legal abortion is essential to the pursuit of gender and racial justice. Armed with the knowledge that the right to determine their reproductive future was protected by Roe, young women have been able to invest in their education, training, vocations, and careers. Reversing Roe would limit the full economic potential of young women, who could be pushed out of the workplace or forced to limit their education and careers to accommodate pregnancy or childcare. Everyone should have the freedom and power to make personal decisions about their lives, families, and futures. We must stand firmly for a woman’s right to safe, affordable, accessible abortion.”For more information on this decision and to find out how you can stand with young women at the Supreme Court, please visit the YWCA USA website.Join us October 2, as YWCA Lancaster Co-hosts Bans off Our Bodies.About YWCA LancasterYWCA Lancaster is dedicated to the elimination of racism, the empowerment of women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.  Since 1889 we have served children and adults in the community through a variety of programs.  Current offerings include the Center for Racial and Gender Equity; Kepler Hall residence, home to fifty adults and children; New Choices Career Development Program, a life-changing opportunity for Lancaster, York and Chester County’s individuals in transition to achieve economic self-sufficiency; YWonderful Kids providing child enrichment for ages six weeks to five years and before/after school care in a number of settings; Sexual Assault Prevention and Counseling Center with a 24 hour hotline and no-cost professional counseling for survivors of sexual assault and their significant others and Parent Empowerment Program for families in need of positive parenting support.About YWCA USAYWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. We are one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families.YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for 160 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls.

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