“Thirty-six years ago, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Roe v. Wade. Although that decision remains controversial, I join the majority of Americans in continuing to support it. As the Court held then, and has maintained since, privacy is one of our most essential rights—and women’s power to make the most personal decisions belongs to them alone, not to the state. That principle is one of the foundations of women’s freedom and equality.

 

“At the same time, there is a growing appreciation of the fact that conservatives and liberals can unite over the shared goal of reducing abortions. Comprehensive education and access to contraceptives means fewer unintended pregnancies, and fewer painful choices for America’s women. If we can take one constructive agreement from this still-controversial day, it should be that.”