June 6, 2022
The Legal Alliance for Reproductive Rights will provide free legal services to those affected if Roe v. Wade is struck down.
Willkie has joined the Legal Alliance for Reproductive Rights, a coalition of law firms committed to supporting reproductive rights in the event that the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, which could lead to people in many states losing their rights to reproductive justice. The coalition has been formed through the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Justice and Diversity Center (BASF).
Led by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, the alliance will provide pro bono legal services to pregnant individuals and medical providers facing civil suits and criminal charges related to seeking or providing abortions in California and other states. The member firms will also assist in pro bono civil and criminal defense in other states where the right to choose no longer exists.
Willkie and more than 20 other prominent law firms with San Francisco offices have joined the alliance in order to defend access to reproductive healthcare and protect those in need of legal assistance should constitutional abortion rights be taken away. Willkie’s participation is being led by San Francisco partner Simona Agnolucci, who serves on the board of BASF and will be on the steering committee of the alliance.
For many years, Willkie has advocated for the protection of reproductive rights and partnered with organizations that defend those rights. Most recently, the Firm served as counsel for amici on a brief submitted by organizations of women lawyers defending women’s constitutional abortion rights in the pending U.S. Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. The Firm is also currently working with the ACLU of Nebraska on a pro bono basis on reproductive rights initiatives related to the possible overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Pregnant people and their families have relied heavily on the constitutional guarantee of the ability to decide whether to have an abortion when exercising autonomy over their lives, health, families and futures. They have planned lives, careers, education and families in reliance on this right, and any obstacle to those rights creates a significant burden that will have devastating consequences.
Willkie will continue to devote pro bono resources to support protection of reproductive rights.
