NJWLA is deeply saddened and disappointed by the decision in the recent

US Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In so doing, the Court overturned fifty years of precedent, and with it, critical safeguards mandated by law to protect a woman’s fundamental right of self-determination. We denounce this decision not only for the impact that it will have on women throughout the country in ways yet to be fully realized, but also for the disproportionate impact it will undoubtedly have on women of color and women of limited financial means.

The purpose and mission of our organization “includes providing a voice for [our] members concerning issues of importance to women.” Equality, inclusion, justice and safeguarding the rights and protections endowed by our Constitution are central to that objective, as well as to the goals and aspirations that we hold dear as women, and as women lawyers, in particular. We pledge to remain vigilant in our advocacy for the constitutional freedoms and protections necessary for women to thrive, which will require unwavering determination in the months and years to come to prevent the continued erosion of these and other closely held civil rights and liberties that the Supreme Court has plainly endangered.

This decision, and the slippery slope that it ominously portends, is unacceptable. NJWLA supports the efforts of New Jersey leaders to ensure that New Jersey is and remains a safe haven for individuals throughout the country who desperately need one.

In the words of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee at her Confirmation Hearing: “It is essential to woman’s equality with man that she be the decisionmaker, that her choice be controlling. If you impose restraints that impede her choice, you are disadvantaging her because of her sex.”