Former first lady Michelle Obama took to Instagram to express her devastation over the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday. The court split 6-3 in favor of reversing Roe. This officially ends the women’s guaranteed ability to obtain the procedure after 50 years.
Although this decision was expected since May when the leaked opinion draft first surfaced, that doesn’t make it any less disheartening. Obama released a statement to Instagram soon after it was announced sharing her heartbreak:
“This horrifying decision will have devastating consequences, and it must be a wake-up call, especially to the young people who will bear its burden. I know this is not the future you chose for your generation—but if you give up now, you will inherit a country that does not resemble you or any of the values you believe in,” she said.
“This moment is difficult, but our story does not end here. It may not feel like we are able to do much right now, but we can. And we must.”
Obama finished her message by urging her followers to get involved with organizations like Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women Reproductive Justice Hub.
“Our hearts may be broken today, but tomorrow, we’ve got to get up and find the courage to keep working towards creating the more just America we all deserve. We have so much left to push for, to rally for, to speak for—and I know we can do this together.”
Thirteen states currently have trigger laws, which will make abortion immediately illegal. Around twenty-six states are likely to ban abortion now that Roe v. Wade has been officially overturned.
Even though many states are expected to ban abortion, the procedure is already harder to obtain for lower-income Black pregnant people, who disproportionately seek abortion care.