Last week, the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers™ adopted a resolution condemning Dobbs v. Jackson. In that decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution “does not confer a right to abortion.”

The Court further stated that elected representatives have the authority to regulate abortion. In the absence of Congressional action, that means each state legislature can set restrictive rules about abortion and some have moved to ban the practice and establish criminal penalties for violations.

Disturbing Reasoning

The AAML™ finds both the court’s reasoning and the result to constitute a profound step backward in the protection of rights in American society. They are disturbed to see the court consider an historical interpretation of the Constitution that looks back to an era when women were not allowed to vote and “many segments of the population were marginalized and victimized.” Noting that it took decades for many members of society to gain full rights, they see this as a step backward, and fear that “the fundamental rights which have developed to reflect our societal evolution” will be “stripped away one by one.”

The Problems Left in the Wake of this Decision

Because the Dobbs decision removes the federal constitutional protection for abortion and allows states to set their own rules, the AAML™ sees a risk to many members of the population. As the organization explains, “Dobbs raises profound concerns that the legal structures that protect families from discrimination nationally may become a fractured and unpredictable puzzle of risks between states. In such circumstances, vulnerable individuals and families– many of whom are in already underserved communities– would be forced further into the shadows or margins of society.”

Many of the rights we now take for granted, the AAML™ notes, were not recognized only a few decades ago. If rights are judged by past standards, many of our basic rights could be called into question and removed.

Weis Law Group Joins the AAML™ in Upholding American Rights

At Weis Law Group, our team joins the opposition to the Supreme Court ruling. Like the AAML™, we find this to be “an interpretation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights which rejects the fundamental right of privacy, rights protecting familial and individual autonomy, and the rights of individuals to order their own personal world.”

We also agree that reproductive liberty is a fundamental human right and that “the guarantee of liberty woven into the fabric of our nation’s history secures the right to personal and familial self-determination.” We are appreciative that this prestigious legal organization has taken such a bold stand in the face of opposition and we are proud to promote our affiliation with the AAML™.