The women's bar association
News Releases
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BOSTON, MA –June 26, 2014 –The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) expresses its deep disappointment with the United States Supreme Court’s decision in McCullen v. Coakley, which strikes down portions of the Massachusetts buffer zone statute, G.L. c. 266, §120E1/2, that established a 35-foot fixed buffer zone around driveways and entrances of reproductive healthcare facilities. The WBA along with 31 other organizations, including NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, the National Women’s Law Center and the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, signed on to the National Abortion Federation’s amicus brief that was submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in November 2013 in support of the buffer zone statute. The amicus brief argued that the statute’s 35-foot buffer zone did not violate the First Amendment, but rather is a necessary element to protect reproductive healthcare providers and their patients.
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BOSTON, MA -July 1, 2014 - Following yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby that for-profit employers with religious objections can opt out of providing contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act, the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) President Kara DelTufo issued the following statement: “The decision is quite troubling as it appears the majority of the Supreme Court fails to recognize the detrimental effect it will have on a woman's right to important preventative health care. As Justice Ginsburg's dissent - quoting Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey - notes, women's control over their reproductive rights has facilitated their ability to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation. Decisions such as these and the McCullen decision threaten women's equality. The WBA will continue to advocate for women's equal rights as "persons" under the law. It is not lost on us that this decision was rendered by a Court where women do not yet have equal representation. Our resolve to continue our important work of advocating for a judiciary that represents the full and equal participation of women is only strengthened. The Hobby Lobby decision continues to resonate the importance of the WBA's mission to achieve the full and equal participation of women in the profession and in a just society.”
