Statement of the Briones Society on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, abortion has again been placed squarely at the center of the American political discourse. The Briones Society recognizes that this decision affects every American – most importantly, American women.  

For many years, the debate over abortion has been fraught with arguments made in bad faith. However, it is also one that touches upon sincere and deeply held convictions regarding the rights of women and the sanctity of human life.

First and foremost, the Briones Society unequivocally opposes any laws that would criminalize abortion. America must not once more become a place where women’s bodies are policed by the state. Laws that restrict abortion can be effected with regulatory action and without criminally sanctioning a patient or doctor for a medical procedure.

No one can say for certain when human life begins. It is our hope that state legislatures will promulgate reasonable laws that do justice to both a woman’s right to end an unsafe or unwanted pregnancy and to society’s moral imperative to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Nearly every other industrialized nation has done this; there is no reason we cannot follow suit.

Finally, we strongly condemn the proposals made by some in the wake of Dobbs to co-opt the Supreme Court through various court packing or jurisdictional schemes. These measures will only destabilize our most sacred institutions and undermine the rule of law, upon which we all depend for the continued security, freedom, and prosperity of this great republic.