Please see the link below to access the statement that was just released from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) regarding the Supreme Court decision announced on Friday, June 24, related to reproductive healthcare rights. Kennedy Krieger's Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD), LEND Program, and IDDRC are all members of AUCD. Please Read
The Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD) links the community to vital services, research and information to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Our mission is to provide leadership that advances the inclusion of people with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities.
The Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD) is proud to be a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD) and a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).
A message from Kennedy Krieger Institute
Dear Colleagues
As an organization whose mission is to care, educate and advocate for individuals with disabilities, Kennedy Krieger stands with AUCD in support of all people, including those with disabilities, to have the right to make their own decisions about healthcare, including reproductive healthcare.
Statement of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities on Reproductive Health
In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, June 24, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) issues the following statement.
First and foremost, AUCD recognizes the significance and complexity of the impact of the decision on all people, including those with disabilities. For many, this is deeply personal. AUCD fully supports and advocates for people with disabilities to have the right and freedom to make their own decisions about healthcare. AUCD believes access to healthcare is a fundamental human right for all people. The decision today brings to the surface many complex and interrelated issues about rights, privacy, bodily autonomy, and valuing the lives of people with disabilities. For far too long, people with disabilities have been denied control over their own bodies. Forced sterilization and eugenics are a part of the shared history of our country. Equality of opportunity, self-determination, community living, and full participation are core values reinforced by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Every person with a disability is entitled to a life of inclusion in the community of their choice, with the support they need to live a dignified self-determined life. All people, including people with disabilities, should be entitled to quality, accessible, affordable healthcare, including a comprehensive range of reproductive healthcare options. Even 32 years after the ADA codified civil and human rights, people with disabilities continue to face institutional bias as well as significant and pervasive barriers to accessing quality healthcare. AUCD works in partnership with people with disabilities to promote inclusion, dignity, respect, equity, justice, health, and well-being across the lifespan in all communities within our states, territories, and tribal nations. AUCD recognizes the significant nationwide impact this decision will have on state laws and regulations. The implications of the decision will vary greatly depending on where a person lives. AUCD will strongly support our network members as they address the implications of this decision.