National Teachers Union President Blasts Supreme Court’s Decision On Abortion Rights Saying It’s a ‘Gut Punch’ To Women
National Education Association President Becky Pringle says a “radicalized” United States Supreme Court is to blame for decisions she believes have unraveled abortion rights and undermined the separation of church and state in our country.
According to Business Insider, the head of the most powerful, politically active 3-million member teachers' union also stated that the recent high court decisions do not reflect the views or values of most and “move us further away from the promise of America for all Americans."
"This November, if you get in the way of our progress toward a more just nation, we will get in the way of your election," she said to the union's Representative Assembly in Chicago on Sunday (July 3), Insider reports.
Pringle pledged to use the union’s influence particularly against candidates who refuse to keep schools safe but ask teachers to “take up arms,” refuse to pay teachers as professionals, fuel inequities that undermine student learning, or who work to “disinvest and destroy” public schooling.
Additionally, Pringle spoke out against Supreme Court decisions on praying in schools stating that it “threaten the right to a universal public education” as well as the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that reversed federal protections for abortion, as having a “long-term, devastating impact” on fundamental freedoms.
"Like me, you knew these decisions were coming," she said. "That still didn't change the gut punch it delivered."
Pringle also touched on school curriculum, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and more. Her comments come as teachers are increasingly feeling the pressures of staffing shortages, changes brought about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and political pressures with many saying they’re simply had enough and are ready to quit.
