Both the east and west Writers Guild of America unions put out similar statements last week asking employers to choose to work with states that are more pro-choice in the wake of a leaked United States Supreme Court draft ruling signaling the end of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision making abortion a federal right.
"The governing Council of the Writers Guild of America, east condemns the leaked draft of the Supreme Court opinion that would overthrow the Roe v. Wade decision and reaffirms our commitment to defending all of our members from inequality and discrimination," the guild's May 5 statement said. "As a union, it is our duty to protect workers' access to quality medical care, including reproductive healthcare, in and out of the workplace. Reproductive rights are human rights, and laws that limit the right to choose place other fundamental rights at risk, including marriage equality and legal birth control. We call on our employers to carefully consider the laws of each state, especially bans on abortion, when choosing where they conduct business."
The Board of Directors for the west version of the guild also put out a similar statement May 4.
"In light of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion rights, we want to reaffirm our Guild's commitment to fighting on our members' behalf against inequality and discrimination," the west guild statement said. "Women's rights are human rights, and any laws that ban or limit a woman's right to choose are dangerous and set a precedent for further erosion of our collective civil rights. We call on our employers to consider the laws of each state when choosing production locations to ensure that our members will never be denied full access to reproductive healthcare."
Both guilds are separate labor unions representing writers in movies, television, radio, and internet programming.
The statements are the latest backlash to Politico reporting last week that a draft opinion from the high court, with the majority opinion written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, signals that the court will reverse the controversial 1973 Roe v. Wade decision making abortion a federal right.
"We therefore hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion," Alito wrote in the draft ruling. "Roe and Casey (a 1992 decision affirming Roe) must be overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion must be returned to the people and their elected representatives."
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the leaked document but said it could change before the court finalizes the decision.
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