On Monday night, a leaked draft revealed the Supreme Court’s majority decision to overturn the right to abortion. Those who work at clinics that offer the procedure are anticipating the aftermath of Roe v Wade being nullified. Shannon Brewer, who serves as the director of Mississippi’s only abortion clinic, told NBC News on Tuesday that she is preparing to move to New Mexico in case it happens.
“Our plans are to open a facility in New Mexico,” she stated. “We’ve been calling it the Pink House West just to let people know we’re still here for them, and we’re still going to fight for women regardless.” In an op-ed for The New York Times written last year, Brewer explained how it is more difficult now for someone to get an abortion than it was in 2001.
The impending SCOTUS decision would make it nearly impossible. “The ability to control your own body and future should not depend on where you live, who you are and how much money you make,” she wrote. “But state lawmakers have made that our reality. And if the Supreme Court overturns Roe, this inequality will be hugely magnified.”
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that the draft opinion was authentic but revealed in a statement that it “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.” Brewer, who has been vocal about the attack on abortion access for years, knows that banning the procedure will disproportionately affect Black and brown people.
“It’s going to affect women who need it the most,” she shared. “It’s not going to affect women who have the means financially to be able to get an abortion anywhere. They will still have access some type of way. That’s what devastates me. The ones who need it the most are the ones who will be affected.”