Friday's Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case which overturned Roe v Wade has definitely affected us. We have always been pro-choice and strongly believe in an individual and family's choice regarding pregnancy and fertility. We know that any decision to terminate a pregnancy, regardless of the reason, is not an easy decision and we should not be making these decisions harder for anyone. Regardless of personal feelings that we each may have regarding abortion, it is still a form of healthcare and one that should be made by the pregnant person and whoever they want to include in the decision, not by the government.

Moreover, in a world where the chances of dying in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum is higher than it was a generation ago, we cannot condone actions that would force pregnant people to go forward with potentially dangerous pregnancies. Especially for Black women who already are dying at three to four times the rate of white women, this is a dangerous precedent that will kill more moms. That is what our leaders should be most worried about--how to save pregnant people because pregnancy should not be a death sentence and it is for way too many in the United States.

We do not believe that personal beliefs should dictate the actions of government and we have always encouraged the families we help to be active in their personal and family's care and in the services we provide. We continue to echo this need in all aspects of our healthcare system.

The future implications of what this decision means affect a lot of other decisions. While we personally are blessed to live in Illinois, a safe state committed to protecting the right to choose, we know that for most of the country, this is not their reality. We also know that these restrictions can affect treatment for miscarriage, etopic pregnancies, IVF, and more and will continue to fight for change to protect all of these rights.

We are sad, worried, and angry. We will continue to fight as we always have and will continue to share ways you can advocate as well. We call on our elected officials at all levels to advocate and push for legislation to preserve the very rights that SCOTUS tore away on Friday and that will continue to be stripped.

This weekend, we took some time to ourselves to grieve, to cry, to shout, to get mad, to get tired, but we are back and will continue to fight. We hope you join us!

Michelle and Mark