U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s draft ruling overturning Roe v. Wade:
“The draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade is an insult not only to women everywhere but to the bipartisan majority of Americans who support reproductive freedom. This decision clearly does not represent the will of the American people, and it betrays our shared constitutional rights to life, liberty, and privacy.
If this ruling goes into effect, more than half of the American population will become second-class citizens — our rights to privacy and bodily autonomy destroyed. Women, girls, and transgender people will no longer be equal citizens under the law and our fundamental rights as individuals will be compromised.
Our mandate as Democrats is clear. We must turn out in record numbers this November and beyond to elect more pro-choice candidates and flip state legislatures from red to blue. We need to repeal the Hyde amendment, and ensure states like New York are safe havens for those who need care.
While the road ahead may be unclear, we have the momentum we need to win this fight. Failure is simply not an option. The lives of our mothers, daughters, wives, and friends quite literally hang in the balance.”