CHICAGO – State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) is disheartened and emboldened by the news of the overturning of landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, effectively stripping reproductive rights from millions of women and pregnant people across the nation. She released the following statement:

“No amount of time could fully prepare us for the devastation of this decision from the highest court in our nation. No words can express the amount of suffering and grief this decision will cause. Abortion saves lives—and yet the court’s decision refuses to recognize the right to bodily autonomy we should all fundamentally have.

“Days like these shake the foundations of our nation to the core, and we must not shy away from saying so. If we are to keep our state and our country, we must hold fast amidst reactionary backlash to the decades of progress in reproductive rights. We must hold fast to the truth that women and pregnant people across this country have a right to their own body. They had that right yesterday and they have that right today. Illinois recognizes that. Other states may deny access to our rights, but we have enough wisdom to know they are inalienable. The Illinois Constitution that I swore an oath to support enshrines in its first Article that: “All men are by nature free and independent and have certain inherent and inalienable rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” I will continue to defend that.

“To deny access to our rights is to deny access to our humanity - and that is something no overreaching court can take from us. Now is the time to unite around that common inalienable humanity to recognize that, while Illinois will remain a haven for your rights, some won’t stop until they obliterate our state’s rights to defend a pregnant person’s liberty.

“When I think about the effects of this decision, I think of the people in Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma and the 23 other states that have introduced hostile legislation limiting abortion and reproductive health care. I think of a pregnant person who may not be able to receive lifesaving care due to a doctor’s fear of providing an abortion. I think of the people who know they cannot afford to raise a child in these times of inflation and a baby formula shortage, in a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, no requirement for paid leave following birth, and a health care system that lacks in equity and support especially for Black and Latine individuals.

“While I am so grateful to live in and represent a state that protects our reproductive rights, I know it’s a privilege. To women and other people across the country seeking an abortion, I want to say that you are welcome in Illinois. We will fight for you.  We support you, we will uplift you, and we will keep you safe.”

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