June 27, 2022
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The decision effectively reverses Roe v. Wade, contradicting nearly 50 years of settled law. As a result, abortion is no longer federally protected as a constitutional right.
As the mayors of Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill, we share the alarm, sorrow, and outrage that so many in our communities are feeling. We share your dismay about what this decision means for the advances women and girls have made over the past 50 years, for the rights and dignity that gay and trans people have secured, and for the struggle to ensure all people have access to safe, high-quality health care. We share your anger in recognizing that attacks on these fundamental rights bring the greatest harm to the most vulnerable among us.
We also want to offer information about the consequences of this decision for North Carolinians and some ways you can take action.
First, abortion is still legal in North Carolina, but there are state laws restricting the conditions under which an abortion may be obtained. If you or someone you know needs information about when or where to access abortion or other reproductive health care, you can get information from one of the attached resources.
Although abortion remains legal in North Carolina, we now face the grim reality that the right of people to make their own health care decisions and to choose whether and when to have children has been stripped away. The effect has been immediate for people in states with “trigger laws,” like Mississippi and Tennessee, where access to abortion disappeared overnight. The long-term consequences for millions more Americans will be just as devastating. What’s more, this erosion of a fundamental right to privacy places other protections at risk, including the right to have sex with the partner of our choosing, the right to same-sex marriage, and the right to contraception.
We sign this statement in our shared commitment to building communities where everyone feels safe and welcome and has the ability to thrive.
Mayor Jennifer Weaver, Hillsborough
Mayor Damon Seils, Carrboro
Mayor Pam Hemminger, Chapel Hill
Resources Regarding Legal Access to Abortion
Most Americans and most North Carolinians support legal access to abortion. Here's what you can do to help protect this right:
Learn more about and consider volunteering with or donating to:
Contact your state legislators, and join them in the fight to prevent more restrictive state laws:
Contact your U.S. senators and congressperson and ask them to support federal legislation that protects the rights of women and LGBTQ persons:
Resources Regarding Legal Access to Abortion (PDF)
https://www.townofcarrboro.org/DocumentCenter/View/11490/ResourcesList-JointStatement