September 08, 2022

Forum on Supreme Court abortion rights decision is Tuesday

A free, informational session open only to the SIU campus community on the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on abortion rights is from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the SIU School of Law Auditorium.

Sponsored by the SIU Carbondale Women’s Resource Center and Network Empowering Women, the session is designed to answer questions about the impact of the decision. Attendees with questions can fill out this form and submit it by 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. No questions will be taken from the floor during the event.

A panel consisting of Cindy Buys, professor, SIU School of Law; Abigail Bilderback, director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and associate director, Student Health Services; Dr. Melodi Ewing, Student Health Services, and Sgt. Jason Russell, SIU Department of Public Safety, will be among those presenting.

The discussion will seek to answer participants’ questions including the Supreme Court’s reasons for its decision and how it will impact individuals.

The organizers say they hope SIU community members will gain a greater understanding of their rights, especially with respect to access to reproductive services for themselves and others, and that the forum will provide information on the physical and mental health services and university and community resources available. The forum is a Constitution Day-related event.

Mental health counselors from CAPS will be present to assist people attending the forum.