For Immediate Release: June 24, 2022
Contact: Karen.Gownley@seiuhcpa.org, Communications Director; or scott.vogel@seiuhcpa.org
(Harrisburg, PA) – Matt Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare PA, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade:
“Nurses and healthcare workers know that reproductive care, including the decision to terminate a pregnancy, must be decided between a patient and doctor. Now the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, has authorized the government to grab the power to control pregnancies and regulate human bodies.
“Politicians like Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano are lining up to pass laws banning abortion, even in cases of rape or incest, or as a procedure to save the life of a patient. If these politicians get their way, all of us will be less free, and women, trans people, and poor and working class families will suffer the most.
“In many states, the right to choose is effectively ended by the Dobbs decision. Here in Pennsylvania, the fundamental question of bodily autonomy and healthcare choice will be on the ballot this November. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, endorsed by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania as our candidate in the 2022 election, has a strong record of supporting reproductive rights. Nurses and healthcare workers will organize in our workplaces and communities to make sure he is elected as Pennsylvania’s next Governor.
“In his opinion concurring with the Dobbs decision, Justice Clarence Thomas points the way to repealing judicial precedents that guarantee rights to interracial marriage, marriage equality, fairness for LGBTQ+ people, and access to contraception. Justice Thomas, with the help of Doug Mastriano, is aiming to turn back the clock.
“It’s up to us to work together and make sure that everyone, no matter what gender we are, what color our skin is, or who we love, can live in security and freedom. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania will be part of this fight for a more just and humane society.”
-END-
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is the state’s largest and fastest-growing union of nurses and healthcare workers, uniting tens of thousands of professional and technical employees, direct care workers, and service employees in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home- and community-based services, and state facilities across the Commonwealth. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania members are committed to improving the lives of health care workers and ensuring quality care and healthy communities for all Pennsylvanians.
seiuhcpa.org — www.facebook.com/seiuhcpa — twitter.com/seiuhcpa