HV Anger, Praise For Supreme Court Decision Overturning Roe v Wade

NEW YORK, NY — Reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v Wade was swift among many of New York's leaders, possibly because it has been expected since a draft was leaked in early May.

"No matter what the Supreme Court says, no decision is more fundamental to a woman's liberty than the decision to become a mother, and that includes the agonizing decision whether or not to carry a pregnancy to full term. It impacts every subsequent facet of a woman's life. It is a decision a woman has a fundamental right to make for herself," said the Democratic Caucus of the Westchester County Board of Legislators. "Justice Thomas' concurrence — in which he suggests the Court should also overturn decisions on same sex marriage and contraception — leave little doubt about where this is headed."

New York's laws were on the minds of those who both approved and opposed the SCOTUS 6-3 decision.

"Just last month, in anticipation of this decision, I made an historic $35 million investment to support our state's network of abortion providers," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Friday morning. "Last week, thanks to the partnership of Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie, I signed a landmark, nation-leading package of legislation that further protects the rights of patients and empowers reproductive healthcare providers."

Assemblyman Colin Schmitt, R-Orange County, said he believed the vast majority of New Yorkers oppose that package of laws, particularly the one protecting access to third-trimester abortions.

"Today’s final Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs Jackson returns the right to states and their duly elected leaders to decide abortion policy," Schmitt said. "Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs and the overwhelming weight of public opinion, this law will, unfortunately, remain on the books.”

Whereas State Sen. Pete Harckham, D-Westchester, said he believes New Yorkers support access to reproductive healthcare.

"In New York, a woman’s right to determine her health choices without governmental intrusion is protected by a state law that I helped to pass in 2019 and 2022," Harckham said. "I remain committed to fighting for women and their reproductive healthcare, no matter what.”

The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was widely seen by supporters of Roe v Wade as an attack on women. "Today, more than half of the American population became second-class citizens, stripped of their constitutional right to privacy and bodily autonomy, regardless of where they live," said NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Vowing that New York would "not go back to the inhumane and restrictive pre-Roe era," New York Attorney General Leticia James said "Regardless of the situation at the national level, New York will always be a safe haven for anyone seeking an abortion. I will work tirelessly to ensure that low-income New Yorkers and people from hostile states have access to the care they need and deserve. I will always fight to protect our right to make decisions about our own bodies and expand access to this critical and lifesaving care."

James said New York guarantees access to abortion care and prohibits discrimination and harassment for reproductive decision-making. New York requires insurance coverage of abortion and provides public funding for abortion. Abortion services in New York are confidential.

The New York Bar Association issued a rebuke. "The court has overturned precedent before, but every other time the court was driven by the desire to expand individual rights — not to take them away," said its president, Sherry Levin Wallach. "In ruling that the right to privacy no longer protects a woman’s right to choose an abortion, the U.S. Supreme Court has turned away from a decision it made in 1973 even though the facts have not changed. This ill-conceived decision undermines public confidence in our legal system and reduces respect for the rule of law."

However, Rob Astorino, the former Westchester County Executive running for governor, tweeted "High Court rightfully put elected officials in each state in charge of abortion laws."

In his comments, Astorino reiterated his opposition to New York's law protecting access to third-trimester abortion. "We should have reasonable debate in NY on common-sense limits, instead of extremism we currently have," said Astorino.

The decision triggers or empowers abortion bans in more than half the states.

"We are now living in two Americas, where states must decide if they’ll serve as bastions of freedom, or not," said New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers.

"I’m furious that millions of women will now be forced by the Supreme Court and politicians in conservative states into making medical decisions against their will. These severe limits on people’s rights are immoral and un-American," said NY Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, D-Nyack. He urged Congress to take action to overturn the filibuster and pass federal legislation protecting women's reproductive rights.

U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney pointed out that the decision means American women will have fewer rights than their mothers had and criticized Republicans and "their activist judges" for taking the country backward.

But State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, a southern Westchester Democrat who is challenging Maloney for NY Congressional District 17, released a statement blaming the leaders of her party for the state of affairs. "For too long, establishment Democrats have failed to take Republicans seriously and protect our right to an abortion. Enough is enough," she said in a statement. "It is time for a new generation of Democratic leaders who will stop at nothing to protect our rights and values — especially the right to an abortion.

"We know the Republicans’ next goal is a total national ban on abortions and on many types of birth control," Biaggi said. "We must take them at their word and elect members of Congress who will protect all of our rights, expand the Courts, and abolish the filibuster."

SEE ALSO:

• Supreme Court Overturns Right To Abortion; NY Safeguards Choice
• NYC 'Horrified' After Supreme Court Leak Shows Roe V. Wade Reversal