Post-Roe: What Happens Now? is the topic of an online Community Forum to be held on Friday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. to examine the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 24th ruling on abortion.

The high court ruled that women no longer have a constitutional right to abortion, overturning the historic Roe v. Wade decision that mandated federal abortion protections for 49 years. The high court's decision upholds a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and the ruling leaves it up to state legislatures to decide if and under what circumstances abortions will be permitted.

Nearly half of U.S. states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion. Other landmark decisions could also be at risk, including those that legalized same sex marriage and birth control, Supreme Court observers in the media have reported.

Three panelists involved with public policy advocacy will discuss topics including federal, California and around-the-country updates, disparate impacts, funds to support abortion access, and how to get involved.
The panelists are:

--Sandra Fluke, a public interest attorney. She is nationally known for her congressional testimony regarding birth control access under the Affordable Care Act. For two decades, she has worked in the nonprofit sector to advance social and economic justice.

--Tami Martin, Legislative Director of Equality California, where she works to advance the LGBTQ+ community's priorities in Sacramento through legislative, budget and administrative advocacy.

--Adrienne N. Spires-Sar, Reproductive Justice Manager with Black Women for Wellness. She has worked in the anti-gender-based violence field in California as a project coordinator for the last five years and has 20-plus years of nonprofit experience addressing violence, sexual assault and mental health.

The forum via Zoom is presented by Chalice Community Forum, a program of Chalice Unitarian Fellowship of the Conejo Valley. To register for a link to the free event, visit forum.chaliceuu.org. For information, contact Randall Edwards at forum@chaliceuu.org or through the church office at (805) 498-0548.