Statement from Deborah Visconi, President and CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center on the Supreme Court Decision to overturn Roe v. Wade

I am a mother. I am also a Latinx woman from an underserved community who watched daily the devastation caused by healthcare inequity.  I never thought reproductive rights, something fundamentally secured in 1973 would be a healthcare inequity concern in 2022.  Yet here we are.

Reproductive rights, including the safe and legal access to abortion are critical components of equitable healthcare. A woman’s right to make choices and control her own body should never be in question.

Overturning Roe v. Wade will not stop abortions, but it will take us back to a time where unsafe abortions took women’s lives. This decision will disproportionately impact women of color, women struggling financially and those with limited access to education and contraception. While we are fortunate to live in a state where the very personal decision to have an abortion remains a protected right, we cannot remain silent. 

We must keep saying as loud and often as possible: Reproductive rights, including the safe and legal access to abortion are critical components of equitable healthcare and fundamental freedoms for any person should never be taken away.