Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
We are deeply concerned about the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and the resulting immediate ban on all non-medically necessary abortions in the state of Missouri with no exemptions for rape or incest. This ruling will have grave impacts on members of WashU and our department, who through this ruling have lost an essential civil liberty and are now exposed to severe risks. We strongly believe that bodily autonomy is a nonnegotiable human right and that the decision to end a pregnancy only lies with the involved individual and their medical professional.
We believe that as a university community, we have means to lessen the impact of this ruling, and we are thus working with the Association for Women Faculty and other organizations to better understand how to proceed. In the meantime, we would like to express our unconditional support for every member of WashU who finds themself in need of support given these circumstances. We encourage individuals in need to contact the Physics DEI committee and we will be glad to help in whatever way needed.
Please also see the related message from Chancellor Martin.