PHOENIX, AZ. — Yesterday, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a near-total abortion ban, effectively banning all abortion throughout the state. Reverend Dr. Cathy Clardy Patterson – CEO of Empowering Arizona and Sr. Pastor of the Fountain of Life Church in Scottsdale issued the following statement.
Reverend Dr. Cathy Clardy Patterson, CEO of Empowering Arizona — a founding Coalition partner of United For Democracy — and Sr. Pastor of the Fountain of Life Church in Scottsdale said:
“The United States Supreme Court dragged our reproductive rights back to 1973 and propped the floodgates open for states to not only follow suit, but continue testing the limits of their regressive anti-abortion agenda. The Arizona Supreme Court just took up the mantle and pulled us back to the Civil War era. As an African American woman, I am particularly outraged because it is a reminder of the period between 1619-1865 when we had no bodily autonomy. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “here we go again!” I just watched an out of control court turn back the clock to those dark times. I am deeply concerned about how this will affect my community and the catastrophic impact it will have on the freedoms of people across the state.
Yet again, judges with open contempt for those they serve have made a ruling that flies in the face of science, decency, and common sense. All of which has been made possible by Donald Trump’s three MAGA justices who set this ruling in motion. As long as the United States Supreme Court remains unchecked, our bodily autonomy remains under threat. These attacks will worsen, and the justices’ relentless power grab will become more and more dangerous. Now is the time for Congress to use its authority to restore the Supreme Court’s integrity before Arizonans and Americans suffer any more consequences.”
United for Democracy is a diverse and growing coalition of more than 130 grassroots organizations, labor unions, and advocates for reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, the environment, workers’ rights and more, all representing tens of millions of Americans. The new nationwide campaign launched to educate Americans about the impact today’s Supreme Court is having on their lives, freedoms, and democracy — and call on Congress to rein in its unchecked powers.