The Dolan Law Firm is deeply disheartened and incensed by the Supreme Court’s decision this morning, overturning over 50 years of historical precedent representing our nation’s recognition of a woman’s right to control her reproductive decisions, a right supported by at least 73% of this nation’s population.
The Dolan Law Firm, made up of over 65% female identifying employees, is fiercely and collectively devoted to advocating for women’s fundamental rights, including a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body, her own healthcare and her own destiny. We believe a woman’s decision to become pregnant, remain pregnant or end a pregnancy belongs to her and her alone.
This decision represents violence against women, as women who become pregnant, regardless of the circumstances, will be forced to give birth or face criminal consequences. A government that forces women and girls into motherhood before they are ready or have the resources to care for a child is fundamentally wrong, sustains the patriarchy and further cements the destinies of underserved women and girls on the cusp of poverty or already living in poverty. The effect this decision will have on those communities is profound and devastating.
The Dolan Law Firm, PC has always and will always fight for an individual’s religious liberty and the right to make personal decisions based on religious beliefs. An individual can advocate for both religious freedom and a woman’s right to choose. These individual freedoms are not at odds with one another. To the contrary. Both underscore and represent the vital democratic value of individual decision-making in private matters, including reproductive decisions whether choosing to continue or terminate a pregnancy. Because it is vital to maintain the integrity of these individual freedoms and others, we firmly stand behind the constitutionally engrained separation of church and state.
This decision represents a critical turning point in American democracy and one that points to a dark chapter in our nation’s history. In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas, clearly emboldened by the conservative majority, called for the Court to “reconsider” landmark decisions previously codifying rights to contraception, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. The rationale used by the Court in overturning Roe v. Wade, lays the foundation and indeed encourages challenges to other critical and fundamental rights recognized nationwide for decades. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan warned in their dissenting opinion that “no one should be confident that this majority is done with its work.”
We see this dissent as perhaps the most important call to action of our time. The Dolan Law Firm urges our statewide community of legal advocates, lawmakers, politicians, grassroots activists and citizens to mobilize in our effort to protect women’s rights and individual freedoms in California and work to create a network and infrastructure that will provide resources to women and girls in states now outlawing a woman’s right to make her own reproductive decisions. Our firm remains steadfast in our commitment to advocating for women’s rights and the individual freedoms of other groups threatened by this decision.
