EMILYs List Statement Honoring the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

For Immediate Release
January 22, 2021

EMILYs List Statement Honoring the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today marks the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which affirmed the right to safe and legal abortion in the United States. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement on the anniversary:

“Nearly a half-century ago, the landmark Roe v. Wade decision granted everyone the right to make their own health care decisions by legalizing abortion. Unfortunately, too many people still face obstacles in their ability to access reproductive care, and Republicans are determined to make that even worse. Just last week, the Supreme Court ruled to make it harder for people to get the health care they need during a global pandemic, disproportionately affecting people of color and people in low-income communities. And despite overwhelming support for abortion rights, Republicans in state legislatures around the country are moving quickly with efforts to undermine reproductive rights. 

The threat to our rights is real and growing, but we are proud to stand with the majority of Americans and our allies in fighting for every person's rights and reproductive justice. At EMILY's List, we work to elect diverse pro-choice Democratic women who will expand and strengthen access to abortion and health care. On this anniversary, we are grateful for our allies in this fight and the women we've helped elect who do this vital work every day.”

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $700 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running nearly $50 million in independent expenditures in the last cycle alone, and turning out women voters and voters of color to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country's first woman as vice president, 157 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and more than 1,300 women to state and local office. More than 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. After the 2016 election, more than 60,000 women reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state, and national offices. In our effort to elect more women in offices across the country, we have created our Run to Win program, expanded our training program, including a Training Center online, and trained thousands of women.