LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS ― Natalie James, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, released the following statement after the Supreme Court of the United States overturns Roe v. Wade.

“Today we find ourselves at a point in history we hoped we would never see. The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a ruling overturning the reproductive health protections put in place by Roe v. Wade. For the last half-century, Americans have had the right to make their own reproductive health choices under the care and guidance of a trusted medical provider. Now they are forced to give birth despite what their circumstances may be. In Arkansas, as well as other GOP-led states across our nation, abortions have already been banned without exception for incest or rape.

Senator John Boozman praises the Court’s ruling, stating that “the American people will now have the opportunity to enact their will on this issue,”  We know the reality is the exact opposite. Americans were not given more rights today. Americans' rights were taken. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling strips women of the dignity to make their own reproductive health choices and causes further trauma and harm to impregnated children and victims of incest or rape.

Forced birth is not a cornerstone of a democratic society. It is now up to Congress to correct the Court’s outrageous overturning of Roe by enacting legislation that will provide federal reproductive health protection for all Americans. But without a super-majority in the Senate, it is highly unlikely we will be able to do so. 

Your vote this November just became more important than ever.  Democrats must expand their majority in the Senate to ensure legislation is passed that will restore privacy and protection to individuals making reproductive health decisions. We must replace John Boozman and his GOP colleagues who are up for reelection this November with Democrats who will restore reproductive freedom. 

I understand the importance of medical privacy and the right to safe, individualized reproductive healthcare. Once elected, I will work hard to pass legislation that restores an individual’s right to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions.”