Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which effectively reversed its landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, the mayors of Hillsborough, Carrboro and Chapel Hill issued a joint statement regarding abortion in North Carolina.

“We share the alarm, sorrow, and outrage that so many in our communities are feeling,” the trio of Pam Hemminger, Damon Seils and Jenn Weaver said on Monday. “We share your dismay about what this decision means for the advances women and girls have made over the past 50 years, for the rights and dignity that gay and trans people have secured, and for the struggle to ensure all people have access to safe, high-quality health care.”

The mayors’ statement comes after Orange County residents held weekend protests and rallies around the area regarding the court’s decision. The message also assured community members that abortion is still legal in North Carolina, though a potential GOP supermajority in the General Assembly following the 2022 elections could change that.

“We now face the grim reality that the right of people to make their own health care decisions and to choose whether and when to have children has been stripped away,” the statement said. “What’s more, this erosion of a fundamental right to privacy places other protections at risk, including the right to have sex with the partner of our choosing, the right to same-sex marriage, and the right to contraception.”

In addition to the message, Hemminger, Seils and Weaver provided links to several abortion care resources and advocacy groups.

The trio signed the statement “in our shared commitment to building communities where everyone feels safe and welcome and has the ability to thrive,” while also urging residents to contact state and national representatives.

To read the full statement from the trio of Orange County mayors, click here.

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