80+ US Prosecutors Vow Not to Be Part of Criminalizing Abortion Care

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had an immediate impact on pregnant people in Republican-controlled states with “trigger bans,” more than 80 elected attorneys from around the country vowed not to prosecute individuals who seek, assist in, or provide abortion care.

“Criminalizing and prosecuting individuals who seek or provide abortion care makes a mockery of justice,” says a joint statement signed by 84 district attorneys and attorneys general. “Prosecutors should not be part of that.”

More than half of all U.S. states are expected to end or drastically restrict legal access to abortions in the coming weeks, a process that began just minutes after the high court’s right-wing justices struck down Roe in a 6-3 ruling.

“As elected prosecutors, ministers of justice, and leaders in our communities, we cannot stand by and allow members of our community to live in fear of the ramifications of this deeply troubling decision,” says the statement, organized by Fair and Just Prosecution.

“Not all of us agree on a personal or moral level on the issue of abortion,” says the statement, signed by prosecutors representing more than 87 million people in communities across the nation, including over 27 million in states where abortion rights have been, or will soon be, eradicated.

“But we stand together in our firm belief that prosecutors have a responsibility to refrain from using limited criminal legal system resources to criminalize personal medical decisions,” the statement continues. “As such, we decline to use our offices’ resources to criminalize reproductive health decisions and commit to exercise our well-settled discretion and refrain from prosecuting those who seek, provide, or support abortions.”

Miriam Krinsky, executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, said that “by cruelly and callously stripping away a 50-year-old fundamental right,” the Supreme Court’s reactionary majority “has undermined the legitimacy of the criminal legal system and trust in the rule of law.”

“With many states now seeking to criminalize those who seek, perform, and receive abortion care, elected prosecutors are the last line of defense in protecting patients and providers from criminal charges,” said Krinsky. “At this frightening and dark moment, we desperately need the bold leadership demonstrated by these signatories—and hope to see far more prosecutors across the country join this chorus.”

Originally published at Commondreams.org, written by Kenny Stancil.