83 elected prosecutors nationwide commit to not prosecute abortions after Roe v Wade overturned

LOS ANGELES - Following the Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, 83 elected prosecutors from around the nation pledged to use their discretion and refuse to prosecute those who seek, assist in or provide abortions, calling the criminalization of abortion care "a mockery of justice."

The elected prosecutors, consisting of District Attorneys and Attorney Generals from 28 states and territories and the District of Columbia, argue in a joint statement that using limited criminal justice resources to prosecute personal healthcare decisions runs counter to their obligation to pursue justice and promote public safety. The prosecutors include representatives from 11 states where abortion is now banned or likely to be banned.

"This is a sad day in America," said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who is one of the 83 elected prosecutors who signed the pledge. "The Supreme Court has told half the population that it has no right to bodily autonomy. One Justice said out loud that we should reconsider even more rights, including the right of everyone to love and marry who they choose. I grieve for all those women who have lost so much today, and for all those people who live in fear that they will lose more tomorrow."

"I want to promise you that I will stand beside you and fight to make sure that in California and elsewhere, you have absolute autonomy over your body, your health, and your safety. I will never prosecute a woman for making private, medical choices about her own body. We will press onward for a better tomorrow," Gascón continued.

Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, abortion has been or will soon be banned in at least 26 states. 

"Today’s Supreme Court decision is a jarring betrayal of generations of Americans who have come of age with the right to make decisions about their own bodies," said Miriam Krinsky, Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution, the organizer of the statement. "By cruelly and callously stripping away a 50-year-old fundamental right, a majority of the Court has undermined the legitimacy of the criminal legal system and trust in the rule of law. With many states now seeking to criminalize those who seek, perform and receive abortion care, elected prosecutors are the last line of defense in protecting patients and providers from criminal charges. At this frightening and dark moment, we desperately need the bold leadership demonstrated by these signatories – and hope to see far more prosecutors across the country join this chorus."

The joint statement from the prosecutors also emphasizes how abortion bans disproportionately harm victims of sexual abuse, rape, incest, human trafficking and domestic violence, and that many anti-abortion laws either do not provide exceptions for victims of sexual violence or force survivors to choose between reporting their assault or carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term.

The prosecutors who signed the statement include:

• Patsy Austin-Gatson, District Attorney, Gwinnett Judicial Circuit, Georgia
• Diana Becton, District Attorney, Contra Costa County, California
• Wesley Bell, Prosecuting Attorney, St. Louis County, Missouri
• Buta Biberaj, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Loudoun County, Virginia
• Sherry Boston, District Attorney, DeKalb County, Georgia
• Chesa Boudin, District Attorney, City and County of San Francisco, California
• Alvin Bragg, District Attorney, New York County (Manhattan), New York
• Aisha Braveboy, State’s Attorney, Prince George’s County, Maryland
• Danny Carr, District Attorney, Jefferson County, Alabama
• Christian Champagne, District Attorney, 6th Judicial District, Colorado
• John T. Chisholm, District Attorney, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
• John Choi, County Attorney, Ramsey County, Minnesota
• Dave Clegg, District Attorney, Ulster County, New York
• Shameca Collins, District Attorney, 6th Judicial District, Mississippi
• Shalena Cook Jones, District Attorney, Chatham County (Savannah), Georgia
• David Cooke, District Attorney, Macon Judicial Circuit, Georgia
• John Creuzot, District Attorney, Dallas County, Texas
• Satana Deberry, District Attorney, Durham County, North Carolina
• Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, Virginia
• Steve Descano, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Fairfax County, Virginia
• Joshua R. Diamond, Acting Attorney General, Vermont
• Michael Dougherty, District Attorney, 20th Judicial District (Boulder), Colorado
• Matt Ellis, District Attorney, Wasco County, Oregon
• Keith Ellison, Attorney General, Minnesota
• Ramin Fatehi, Commonwealth’s Attorney, City of Norfolk, Virginia
• Kimberly M. Foxx, State’s Attorney, Cook County (Chicago), Illinois
• Glenn Funk, District Attorney, Nashville, Tennessee
• José Garza, District Attorney, Travis County (Austin), Texas
• George Gascón, District Attorney, Los Angeles County, California
• Sarah F. George, State’s Attorney, Chittenden County (Burlington), Vermont
• Joe Gonzales, District Attorney, Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas
• Deborah Gonzalez, District Attorney, Western Judicial Circuit (Athens), Georgia
• Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York
• Mark Gonzalez, District Attorney, Nueces County (Corpus Christi), Texas
• Andrea Harrington, District Attorney, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
• Maura Healey, Attorney General, Massachusetts
• John Hummel, District Attorney, Deschutes County, Oregon
• Natasha Irving, District Attorney, 6th Prosecutorial District, Maine
• Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Queens County, New York
• Alexis King, District Attorney, 1st Judicial District, Colorado
• Zach Klein, City Attorney, Columbus, Ohio
• Lawrence S. Krasner, District Attorney, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• David Leyton, Prosecuting Attorney, Genesee County, Michigan
• Rebecca Like, Prosecuting Attorney, County of Kaua’i, Hawaii
• Edward E. Manibusan, Attorney General, Northern Mariana Islands
• Brian Mason, District Attorney, 17th Judicial District, Colorado
• Beth McCann, District Attorney, 2nd Judicial District (Denver), Colorado
• Karen McDonald, Prosecuting Attorney, Oakland County, Michigan
• Colette McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Richmond, Virginia
• Gordon McLaughlin, District Attorney, 8th Judicial District, Colorado
• Ryan Mears, Prosecuting Attorney, Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana
• Brian Middleton, District Attorney, Fort Bend County, Texas
• Stephanie Morales, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Portsmouth, Virginia
• Michael W. Morrissey, District Attorney, Norfolk County, Massachusetts
• Marilyn J. Mosby, State’s Attorney, Baltimore City, Maryland
• Jamie Mosser, State’s Attorney, Kane County, Illinois
• Dana Nessel, Attorney General, Michigan
• Jody Owens, District Attorney, Hinds County, Mississippi
• Alonzo Payne, District Attorney, 12th Judicial District (San Luis), Colorado
• Joseph Platania, Commonwealth’s Attorney, City of Charlottesville, Virginia
• Bryan Porter, Commonwealth’s Attorney, City of Alexandria, Virginia
• Dalia Racine, District Attorney, Douglas County, Georgia
• Karl Racine, Attorney General, District of Columbia
• Eric Rinehart, State’s Attorney, Lake County (Waukegan), Illinois
• Mimi Rocah, District Attorney, Westchester County, New York
• Jeff Rosen, District Attorney, Santa Clara County, California
• Marian Ryan, District Attorney, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
• Dan Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney, King County (Seattle), Washington
• Eli Savit, Prosecuting Attorney, Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor), Michigan
• Mike Schmidt, District Attorney, Multnomah County (Portland), Oregon
• Daniella Shorter, District Attorney, 22nd Judicial District, Mississippi
• Carol Siemon, Prosecuting Attorney, Ingham County (Lansing), Michigan
• Jack Stollsteimer, District Attorney, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
• David Sullivan, District Attorney, Northwestern District, Massachusetts
• Shannon Taylor, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Henrico County, Virginia
• Raúl Torrez, District Attorney, Bernalillo County (Albuquerque), New Mexico
• Suzanne Valdez, District Attorney, Douglas County (Lawrence), Kansas
• Matthew Van Houten, District Attorney, Tompkins County (Ithaca), New York
• Andrew Warren, State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit (Tampa), Florida
• Phil Weiser, Attorney General, Colorado
• Matthew J. Wiese, Prosecuting Attorney, Marquette County, Michigan
• Jared Williams, District Attorney, Augusta Judicial Circuit, Georgia
• Jason Williams, District Attorney, Orleans Parish, Louisiana
• Todd Williams, District Attorney, Buncombe County (Asheville), North Carolina

The full statement and list of signatories are available here.