Statement on Roe v. Wade (from the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors [AUCCCD])

The Counseling Center joins AUCCCD in the following statement:

The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors is disheartened by the Supreme Court decision on June 24th, 2022, overturning Roe v Wade and the constitutional right to abortion. This will forever be remembered as a day that five individuals (four of which are men which is important to note) overturned women’s rights to make their own reproductive health decisions. We support the autonomy for people to make these decisions themselves, and if they so choose, in consultation with their provider and the people they see as important in their lives.

Politics and religion should not be part of this discussion, and certainly should never have been part of this decision. AUCCCD strongly opposes this decision and supports all of the individuals this will impact. We also recognize that certain populations will be more greatly impacted by this decision: members of BIPOC communities, those living in areas where access to medical care is already limited, younger individuals and students, immigrants, and those with financial hardships.

We stand with states who will continue to protect a woman’s right to choose, and offer our support to our peers and colleagues, as well as those impacted in the states where abortion access will soon be abolished. As a mental health organization, we recognize that access to reproductive rights is an equity issue, and that there are relationships between gender-based oppression and mental health (Hackett, et. al., 2019, Jackson, et. al., 2019). Additionally, this decision will significantly impact the college student population, impacting access, mental health, and for some, the ability to remain enrolled in higher education. We had hoped the progress made would not be reversed, and hope that the one giant step we have taken backwards today can be followed by giant leaps forward in the years to come.