Statement from Stacy Schusterman, Chair, Schusterman Family Philanthropies

The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey and the long-recognized constitutional right to receive abortion care is a blow to the ongoing fight for reproductive freedom and is a concerted effort to undermine true equality and opportunity for women and transgender people.

It also reflects the further erosion of our democratic ideals. The ruling flies in the face of the will of the people, as the majority of Americans support abortion access, and marks an unprecedented contraction of fundamental rights. Our democracy cannot be fully realized if half of our country’s citizens do not have the ability to make decisions about their bodies and families.

Let us be clear: Full access to reproductive care, including the right to abortion, is essential to achieving justice, equality and freedom for all of us.

With this decision, dozens of states are likely to ban abortion altogether. It will have devastating and long-lasting consequences for people across the country and put abortion care further out of reach for communities of color, young people, LGBTQ people and lower-income people who already face systemic obstacles to accessing care. It also calls into question other fundamental rights and civil liberties such as voting, access to contraception, the right to privacy, marriage equality, and more.

At Schusterman Family Philanthropies, we believe that all people, inclusive of race, gender identity, geography and income level, should have equal rights and access to opportunities that enable them to shape their own lives—including access to the full range of safe reproductive healthcare services. We see reproductive freedom, including abortion, as a fundamental human right intrinsically linked to democratic freedom and economic justice. 

We are proud of our grantee partners within our Gender and Reproductive Equity portfolio who are on the frontlines of protecting and advancing abortion access every single day. We remain committed to working with our grantees and other funders to fight for reproductive rights and reproductive justice. Now is the time to double down to preserve and expand access to abortion services to the greatest extent possible and to lay the groundwork for longer-term movement building.

This is a devastating outcome, and a devastating day for our country. But the work can—and will—continue.