Another Sour Note from the Supremes

August 1, 2022

John Acosta  -  AFM IEB Member and President, Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA)

The following is based on my own opinions and is not meant to represent the opinions of our union administration or the AFM International Executive Board (IEB). While I suspect some will frown upon my commenting on the recent decision by the Supreme Court, I am of the view that the union movement is a social movement and should be concerned with the welfare and well-being of our fellow sisters and brothers around the globe, whether they are musicians, hotel workers, steelworkers, or ticket handlers.

The US Supreme Court’s recent ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade will more than likely make it even more difficult for women to access quality health care in the US. These conditions pose an increase in risk for low-income women, women of color, and women living in rural areas. Sadly, the US already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of the developed world, and reducing and severely restricting access to safe and legal abortion only exacerbates an already difficult situation.

In addition, there is clear evidence that unexpected pregnancies are less likely to receive prenatal care and are at a higher risk for medical complications. The World Health Organization recently stated, “Inaccessibility of quality abortion care risks violating a range of human rights of women and girls, including the right to life; the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the right to benefit from scientific progress and its realization; the right to decide freely and responsibly on the number, spacing, and timing of children; and the right to be free from torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.”

The decision of the US Supreme Court to undo a nearly 50-year precedent throws out a major cornerstone in women’s rights, the right to choose, creating a disorganized patchwork of conflicting laws across the US. While the US takes a major step backwards in the advancement of women’s rights, countries around the world are moving in the opposite direction. Just recently, countries in our own hemisphere have established that abortion care is a fundamental part of the human rights of women.

Our nation must act swiftly to improve maternal and reproductive care and grow programs that provide quality health care for all.

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