FASEB Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade

Posted on: July 14, 2022

The June 24, 2022, U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn the longstanding precedent of Roe v. Wade in protecting an individual’s constitutional right to privacy in health care, specifically access to abortion, is alarming, both for its immediate impact on reproductive health decisions and exacerbation of existing health and socioeconomic disparities in the long term. As a coalition of 28 scientific societies committed to furthering the biological and biomedical sciences to advance human health, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) strongly opposes this decision and reaffirms its position that healthcare decisions should be made by an individual based on medical advice and scientific evidence. 

While the current response of this decision has been the enactment of state laws to limit access to abortion and other reproductive care, it is essential for organizations like FASEB to highlight the unintended consequences resulting from this departure from legal precedent on: 1) equal access to quality health care; 2) education and development of a diverse workforce; and 3) advancement of scientific discovery and innovation. 

Approved by the FASEB Board of Directors July 12, 2022