U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case means women will lose access to necessary reproductive medical care.
He said the court overturned decades of constitutional precedent with its ruling, according to a June 24 Department of Labor news release.
“Access to abortion and all other personal reproductive choices is not only an issue of health and personal liberty but also squarely an economic issue that determines the welfare of working women and their families,” Walsh said, according to the release.
The federal agency will advance its mission by empowering women using every tool it has at its disposal, he said, the release reported.
“Reproductive autonomy directly supports women’s ability to get an education, participate in the labor force and increase their earning potential and it has helped to narrow the gender wage gap,” Walsh said, according to the release. “Losing the right to reproductive freedom will have a catastrophic impact on women’s employment and economic security.”
