Carpenter & Zuckerman Supports the Civil Right of All People to Make Their Own Decisions Regarding Their Own Families

MAY 4, 2022 STATEMENT OF JOHN C. CARPENTER ON THE SUPREME COURT’S DRAFT DECISION TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE

Regardless of who you are or who you love, Carpenter & Zuckerman supports the civil right of all people to make their own decisions regarding their own families. Decisions about how many children we have or who we marry are some of the most important decisions we make in our lives. They define who we are and who we aspire to be.These decisions should be made by people, not Governments.We are frightened by the Supreme Court’s proposed decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization which will further chip away at what little we have left of our Constitutional Right to Privacy.

This Constitutional Right has been central to women’s fight for gender equality. It was the Constitutional Right to Privacy that, on many occasions, has protected us against overreaching State Government statutes banning contraception, banning interracial marriage, and banning private consensual sexual acts.We need to conserve this fundamental right to privacy.The proposed Supreme Court decision puts all women, particularly women of color and of low socioeconomic status, in danger. 13 States have already passed post-Roe 'trigger laws,' which automatically ban abortion treatments. These states include Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Most of these ‘trigger laws’ include the banning of abortion treatment even in the case of rape and incest.

Carpenter & Zuckerman will continue to fight for the rights of women and all marginalized people.