If the Supreme Court ends the constitutional right to abortion, it will affect the freedom of EVERY person with a uterus to make decisions about their bodies – a legal right that has been protected for nearly seventy years. And sadly, the effects of the decision will not be experienced equally. For many, a reversal of Roe poses a mortal threat.

Teenagers. Low-income workers and other socioeconomically challenged persons. People of color. LGBTIA+ community members. Undocumented people and non-English speakers. Disabled individuals. Victims of sexual violence. These are just some of the groups who will disproportionately bear the consequences. In addition, the leaked opinion goes much further than simply striking down the Mississippi anti-abortion law itself – as currently drafted, it opens the door to the erosion of many other hard won rights, such as access to contraception, decisions around miscarriage, access to in vitro fertilization treatments, rights to embryos, and same sex marriage.

We have already heard from many who are deeply upset over this news and asking what they can do. We do not believe action can wait until November. We must force lawmakers  to secure reproductive freedom immediately and this will only be accomplished through mass mobilization and sustained action in our streets and communities. Every major step towards justice in this country– from the Civil Rights Act to the original Roe decision– has required direct civil action. 

Here are some ideas for where to start:

Donate:  A list of frontline organizations can be found here and this article identifies abortion funds (on-the-ground organizations that help arrange and pay for abortion care for patients who need it) in states where abortion rights are already severely restricted.

Direct action in Boston: Attend rallies and protests scheduled for the coming days. A continually updated list of these actions can be found here. There is power in numbers and large-scale protests are an impactful way to enact change and ensure our voices are heard.

Direct action on the South Shore: We will keep you posted about various efforts closer to home as we become aware of them, as well as anything we organize. 

  • Email Hingham’s Congressional representative, Stephen Lynch or call his Quincy office at 617-657-6305 and urge him to support immediate and aggressive efforts to reform the filibuster and codify Roe.
  • Duxbury4All is planning a Rally for Reproductive Rights on Saturday, May 14th at 4pm on the lawn in front of First Parish Church, 842 Tremont Street in Duxbury. Scituate has a Bans Off Our Bodies rally the same day at 3pm. This is also Hingham’s election day and we cannot emphasize enough the importance of informing yourself about who is running at the local level (watch the recording of our Candidates Forum on Equity, for example) and then getting out to vote. So please take a minute to learn about your local candidates, VOTE, and then head down to Scituate and Duxbury to join the rallies! 
  • Another important local election we encourage folks to focus on is the upcoming race for Plymouth County district attorney.

This letter represents our initial thoughts in the wake of this serious and present threat likely to be coming out of Washington. As always, we welcome constructive, in-person dialogue about all of the challenging issues we all face as we strive toward a more equitable and inclusive community both in Hingham and beyond. Please feel free to contact us with your thoughts at info@hinghamunity.org 

Thank you,

The HUC Board

Gratitude to Our Harvard Can Do Better for the resources identified in this statement.