IN THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LEANDRO
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-
RESOLUTION OF THE SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL OPPOSING THE RECENT SUPREME COURT DECISION TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE AND
DECLARING ITS SUPPORT FOR A WOMEN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE
WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade was a landmark legal decision issued on January 22, 1973, in which the United States Supreme Court struck down a Texas statute banning abortion, effectively legalizing the procedure across the nation; and
WHEREAS, the court held that a woman’s right to an abortion was implicit in the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution; and WHEREAS, through its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, holding that there was no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion, thereby causing great turmoil regarding the legal status of abortion in many parts of the country; and
WHEREAS, the San Leandro City Council opposes this decision and supports reproductive freedom and access – including the choice of when and whether to have children; and WHEREAS, access to reproductive health care is foundational to personal autonomy, dignity, and the ability to participate fully in economic, social, and civic life; and WHEREAS, abortion is a safe medical intervention that roughly one in four women have had in their lifetime;i and
WHEREAS, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other prominent medical organizations determined that abortion bans will harm, rather than improve, patient health;ii and WHEREAS, a large body of other peer-reviewed research consistently documents the safety of abortions and the lasting harms created when pregnant people are denied abortion care, including harms to mental and physical health, family, and finances; and WHEREAS, abortion bans disproportionately impact persons of color and lower-income patients, with up to 75% of those seeking abortion care living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, and the majority identifying as Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Pacific Islander;iii and WHEREAS, forcing patients to continue unwanted pregnancies subjects them to complications and a risk of death that is 14-times higher than abortion;iv and WHEREAS, research shows that persons denied a wanted abortion are less financially secure in subsequent years than those who received an abortion, and being denied an abortion increases the chances that a person’s existing children live in povertyv .
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Leandro do hereby oppose the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and affirm their support of the rights of those in San Leandro and throughout the United States to maintain control over their own private medical decisions and to obtain access to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, without discrimination.
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-XXX 2
Passed and adopted this 18th day of July 2022, by the following vote:
Members of the Council:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ATTEST:
Kelly B. Clancy, Acting City Clerk
i Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Brief of amici curiae Am. Coll. of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Am. Med. Ass’n., et al., https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/MajorMedical-Groups-Amicus-Brief.pdf#page=23. ii Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Brief of amici curiae American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, et al., https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19- 1392/193074/20210920174518042_19-1392%20bsacACOGetal.pdf#page=29 iii Id. at https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-1392/193074/20210920174518042_19- 1392%20bsacACOGetal.pdf#page=39. iv Id. at https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-1392/193074/20210920174518042_19- 1392%20bsacACOGetal.pdf#page=40. v Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Brief of amici curiae Social Science Experts, https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-1392/192992/20210920145519814_19- 1392_Amicus%20Brief.pdf#page=51.