The following statement was made by Monica Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, protesting the April 9 abortion ban in Arizona.  The statement is posted at SisterSong’s Facebook page.

To invoke Nina Simone’s infamous lyrics, it’s not just “Mississippi goddam,” now it’s Arizona goddam too.

Today, Arizona’s Supreme Court ruling upheld a Civil War-era total abortion ban. This ruling ignores the will of the people in Arizona and denies their bodily autonomy. 

It is also proof that our systems are broken. Medical professionals in Arizona can now be punished with two to five years in prison for providing an abortion. Criminalizing medical care is harmful not only to doctors, but also to pregnant people and their support systems. 

Arizona’s law was originally passed in 1864, before the last slave in the country was freed and before women could own property. Abortion bans were never about health care, they were always about control and upholding white supremacy culture. We won’t stop fighting for Reproductive Justice — “by any means necessary.”