The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence unequivocally supports the basic human right of all people to make informed decisions about their own bodies, as well as their rights to privacy and access to safe healthcare. The US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the landmark Roe vs Wade ruling has put the lives and well-being of people in the United States at risk, especially those who are already disadvantaged and do not have the ability to access the healthcare they urgently need or the privacy they certainly deserve.
Removing basic human rights for any of us diminishes the protective strength of rights for all of us. This decision may lead to others that will discriminate against and reduce the freedoms of marginalized individuals and groups. At this critical moment, we at the Inamori Center want to reaffirm that we value and respect each person’s basic human rights to peace and privacy regarding not only their methods and choices for family planning and reproductive health, but also whom they love or choose to marry.
Living an ethical life demands that we strive for genuine equity and genuine justice, because doing so gives everyone, not just certain people or groups, the best chance to flourish and succeed and achieve their full potential. Anywhere people do not have the autonomy to make decisions about their own bodies, they are not truly free.
The seemingly endless struggle for freedom, justice, and human rights can be overwhelming, but is always worth the effort. "Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation." - Coretta Scott King