There are strong opinions on both sides of the Supreme Court’s decision to end constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years. Friday’s overturning of Roe v. Wade is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.“As a bishop and a citizen, I hope and pray we can create a culture that protects the most vulnerable at the beginning of life and at any time life is threatened in any way,” Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said in a statement. As for Catholics in Boston, there has been a mixed response to the decision – with some believing Roe v. Wade was wrong 50 years ago and others disappointed by Friday's ruling.“I was 29 when Roe v. Wade was passed. I had a child. I know what it was like before. It was not nice,” said one Bostonian.“Sadness. A lot of precedence has been overturned. The Supreme Court will carry the shame, but it is all Americans, women in particular, that will suffer the consequences,” another Bostonian said.“When I was in college, I had to drive from California to Nevada to get a friend an abortion. The actual medical doctor we went to botched it, and she was extremely ill for quite a while afterwards. She did survive, but is this really what is going to happen?” another Bostonian said. O'Malley said the "public arguments will now shift to the states, the Congress and the courts."“I welcome the Court’s decision, but I do not underestimate how profoundly divisive the issue of abortion has been and will continue to be in our public life. Even more tragic has been the personal suffering of women facing unplanned pregnancies in difficult situations. The Church has consistently opposed the moral and legal dimensions of Roe v. Wade; we also adamantly reject stigmatizing, criminalizing, judging or shaming women who have had abortions or are considering them,” O’Malley’s statement continued.