To all the patients and friends who have called with best wishes and concern for the future in these challenging times:
We are sending this message to all of you because many people have called us after the horrendous illegitimate Supreme Court decision on June 24 overturning Roe v. Wade that established legal abortion nationwide in 1973.
As many of you know, Choices Women’s Medical Center Inc. was founded by Merle Hoffman in 1971, after New York State legalized abortion two years before the Roe v. Wade decision. Now, after the Court’s five extreme right-wing Justices voted to destroy the right to abortion that Roe established, Choices pledges to you that we will continue to be a beacon for safe, accessible, legal abortion, and welcomes everyone at our medical center in Jamaica, Queens.
We celebrate the fact that New York remains one of the states that respects and upholds women’s fundamental right to choose when or whether or not to be a mother. At the same time, we pledge to fight against this cruel and illegitimate decision that destroys the full humanity of more than half of this country’s population and goes against the wishes of the great majority of people.
As Merle Hoffman has been quoted as saying after the Court’s decision:
“President Biden in his Speech asks us to answer this egregious illegitimate ruling by voting in November. But in the next five months till the elections, how many women will be forced to self-abort, die, or be forced to give birth against their will?
“As long as one woman, one child, one person is not safe, none of us are safe.
“We refuse to accept this illegitimate decision from this Court and we demand an immediate federal intervention in whatever way possible to ensure the safety of all people seeking abortions!
“The fascists on the Court have said NO to Roe. But we must say NO to this illegitimate court and its illegitimate decision! We must continue this fight and continue to disrupt society with our persistent insistence that EVERY WOMAN – EVERY PERSON IN THIS COUNTRY HAS A RIGHT TO LEGAL SAFE ABORTION. And we will stay in the streets, fight in the courts, and vote for who supports us to make it happen.”
Left to right: Lori Sokol, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, V (Eve Ensler), Sunsara Taylor, Merle Hoffman, Dr. Bruce H. Price, Araceli Herrera
