On June 24, 2022 the US Supreme Court overturned its 1973 decision affirming the constitutional right to abortion, commonly known as Roe v. Wade. The decision came the day after celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. In the months since the ruling, many women athletes have used their VOICE to bring attention to the importance of human rights and women’s healthcare.
500+ women filed a brief to the Supreme Court last September
Women athletes speaking in defense of abortion rights, however, didn’t start with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In September 2021, over 500 women athletes filed a brief to the Supreme Court in which they instilled their support of the 1973 ruling.
In the brief, Crissy Perham, a three-time Olympic medalist and mother, spoke publicly for the first time about the abortion she had her sophomore year of college. “I’m finally speaking up and sharing my story because there shouldn’t be a stigma surrounding personal health care decisions. Women know what’s best for our own bodies and lives, and our autonomy needs to be respected,” she said.
An anonymous amicus added, “I have honed my body and my mind through my efforts. To have any of that autonomy taken away, to have someone else make decisions for my body and my career, is to take away my life’s pursuit.”
The brief concluded by discussing the greater impact that stripping away the reproductive rights of women would have on the empowerment of future generations. It stated, “if women were to be deprived of these constitutional guarantees, the consequences for women’s athletics —and for society as whole—would be devastating.”
Women athletes continue to use their VOICE
Since the official reversal in June, many of the athletes that were part of the brief and others have been outspoken on the topic. “I am thankful every day for the last 30 years of my life not because I had an abortion but because I had that opportunity and people gave me a chance to better myself, and I took advantage of that chance,” shared Perham.
Ashleigh Johnson, a two-time Olympic medalist, who also had signed the brief, said, “It’s really hard to consider sports this clear pathway for girls to find empowerment and for women to really pursue their dreams if they don’t have these protections.”
““It’s really hard to consider sports this clear pathway for girls to find empowerment and for women to really pursue their dreams if they don’t have these protections.””
Professional women’s sports leagues, including the WNBA and the NWSL, have also issued statements expressing their disapproval of the ruling. The WNBA explained how illegalizing abortion would “reinforce economic, social and political inequalities and could lead to higher rates of maternal mortality while eviscerating rights to reproductive freedom for everyone.”
As abortion bans have been put into place across the nation, women athletes have expressed their concern about playing for teams based in states where abortion is now illegal. “For every woman, that’s a real thing, to think about where you are going to live based on your rights,” said former WNBA player Sue Bird.
Ultimately, all of these women understand the power their VOICE has to advocate not only for girls and women in sport but all women. As the year comes to end, it’s important that we reflect on the ways in which we can be inspired by these women to use our own VOICES in the new year.