500 Female Athletes Urge Supreme Court To Protect Abortion Rights
HuffPost
Taking abortion access away from female athletes will force many of them to "sacrifice their athletic aspirations and pursuits," their letter reads.
More than 500 current and former female athletes filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday warning the justices that dismantling abortion access would have a “devastating” effect on women’s sports.
The legal filing comes the day the Supreme Court announced that on Dec. 1, it will hear an abortion case out of Mississippi concerning pre-viability bans, effectively allowing a direct challenge to the abortion protections established by Roe v. Wade in 1973. It’s expected that an estimated 24 states will immediately outlaw access to the procedure if the Supreme Court upholds the ban.
The 514 signatories on Monday’s filing provided a somber look at the ways forced pregnancy could easily end many female athletes’ careers. Women who signed on to the letter include soccer star Megan Rapinoe, water polo star Ashleigh Johnson and Layshia Clarendon, who serves as WNBPA vice president.
