'Attack On American Freedom': CA Leaders React To Abortion Ruling

CALIFORNIA — The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights case on Friday, drawing vitriol from California leaders and driving plans to bolster abortion care across the western states.

The ruling ends a 49-year-old protection and will place abortion policy at the discretion of the states, and dozens are already poised to ban the procedure.

The decision also ignited a groundswell of activism across the Golden State, with protests planned from Riverside to San Francisco.

California is moving in the opposite direction, ramping up legal protections for abortion providers and pouring resources into expanding access as clinics prepare for a possible surge of patients traveling from other states to terminate their pregnancies.

Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move an "attack on American freedom."

Newsom, along with the governors of Oregon and Washington have vowed to ramp up legal protections for abortion providers and pour resources into opening more clinics as the states gear up for a possible influx in patients.

The states are "creating the West Coast offensive. A road map for other states to stand up for women," Newsom said.

"This is another devastating step toward erasing the rights and liberties Americans have fought for on battlefields, in courthouses and in capitols. This is not the America we know – and it’s not the California way," Newsom wrote in a statement Friday.

Abortion is set to become a major focal point for the November election, with swaths of Democratic candidates adding the topic to their platforms.

San Diego Democrat state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins ran a women’s health clinic before entering politics.

“I hope that people are enraged,” Atkins told CalMatters. "While we feel like we have better protections here and California is different, I hope they’re enraged and they understand what’s at stake."

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the watershed ruling is "a slap in the face of women" that puts abortion on the ballot in the November midterm elections.

Lawmakers and leaders across California had strong reactions to the Friday ruling. Here is what they are saying.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank)

"The fact that this opinion does not come as a surprise does not make it any less traumatic for the millions of women now stripped of their access to safe and legal abortion; it does not make it any less frightening for the millions of people now worried about whether their fundamental freedoms will be the next to fall."

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Livermore)

"Today it’s government-mandated pregnancy. Tomorrow it’s a ban on contraceptions. This is an attack on everyone’s freedom. The votes of 6 justices can be OVERWHELMED by the votes of millions of Americans asserting our own Constitutional power. Organize. March. VOTE."

Karen Mitchoff, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors

"The ability to access reproductive care – and to maintain autonomy over our own bodies – is essential to the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community. I remember a time when we did not have the right to choose. Here in Contra Costa County, we will do everything we can to not go back to those days."

San Francisco Mayor London Breed

"This decision is devastating to women and our country. The ramifications from this Supreme Court ruling on public health, poverty, and so many downstream consequences have yet to be seen, but right now, women are scared about what this means for them, for their daughters, for all of us."

Congressman Ro Khanna

The court's decision "strips Americans of their basic freedom and endangers the health and safety of millions. It hits low-income women, women of color, and women living in rural areas particularly hard. It defies not only 50 years of legal precedent, but also the will of the American people."

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard

"The decision that the Supreme Court advanced today not only infringes on a women's right to choose but has also created a public health crisis for millions of women across our nation. Today's SCOTUS decision will not affect abortion access in California. In 1969, our highest court recognized abortion rights under our state's constitution, four years before Roe was decided. Our state law protects the right to personal reproductive decisions."

L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer

"...the court majority has made women lesser citizens...Those of us who steadfastly support women's reproductive freedom must recommit to doing all we can in this crucial hour."

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria

“This is a dark day for our nation. The Supreme Court has failed in its core duty to provide equal justice under the law. I am outraged and horrified — but undeterred. I pledge to do everything within my power to preserve reproductive freedom."

North Bay Congressman Mike Thompson

"Roe was the law of the land for nearly 50 years, and the right to an abortion was settled law. This decision threatens the health of women and will lead to the criminalization and banning of reproductive care."

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco

"This horrific decision — effectively removing people's agency over whether and when to start or grow a family -- is a disaster for millions across the country. The ruling is also a major step back to an era when government and religion controlled the most intimate aspects of people's lives. The Court's action will have serious ramifications beyond abortion, particularly for LGBTQ people."

Senator Alex Padilla

"The right to an abortion is an essential right. But today, six right-wing justices on the Supreme Court cast aside half a century of precedent to overturn Roe v. Wade. This draconian decision will deprive millions of Americans of the basic freedom to make decisions for their own bodies. It also jeopardizes other fundamental civil rights, like the right to marry who you love, the right to privacy, and the right to access contraception.

Congressman Ted Lieu

"The Republicans' decades-long war waged in support of forced birth has culminated in this appalling decision. Roe v. Wade was settled law according to the confirmation testimonies of the Justices who just voted to overturn it."

Supervisor Janice Hahn

"This is devastating. I never imagined we would be a country where my granddaughters would have fewer rights than I did depending on where they live."

Mayor Eric Garcetti

"Los Angeles will never back down, and our cities will not wait to protect abortion rights."

READ MORE:

Protests Planned Across LA After SCOTUS Overturns Roe V. Wade

'We Will Never Give Up': Reaction To Abortion Ruling; Rallies Planned