State, local officials fall along party lines on overrule of Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Friday's outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

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Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; states can ban abortion

The decision, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court that has been fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump.

The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step.

It puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favored preserving Roe, according to opinion polls.

Lawmakers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are falling along party lines, as expected, in response to the SCOTUS ruling. Here's what they are saying, in part:

“First and most importantly, it is critical that everyone understands that abortion services are available and unharmed in Pennsylvania by today’s Supreme Court action. Providers may still provide reproductive health care services and patients should continue the health care plan they’ve developed with their physicians.

“The right to bodily autonomy — and privacy as a whole — is under attack in this country. We must do more to protect the rights of women and pregnant people in every state across the country that doesn’t have a governor willing to wield their veto pen.

“This decision did not happen overnight. Right-wing extremists have been strategically planning to dismantle decades-long decisions to further their agendas and divide our country with policies designed to infringe upon our freedoms. They have done so one vote at a time, one election at a time across our beloved nation. We cannot allow this to continue.”

“No number of leaked draft opinions nor any amount of speculation could have prepared American women for today’s backward and appalling Supreme Court decision to strip away the Constitutional right to reproductive freedom. While New Jersey planned for this eventuality by codifying a woman’s right to an abortion under state law, it is incumbent that we do more to fully secure reproductive rights and ensure access to reproductive health care without delay. Until we do, my Administration will take the necessary steps to fully protect both New Jersey’s women and those who come to our state to access the freedom which may no longer exist in their home state. In New Jersey, women will always have full autonomy over their own bodies and the right to make their own medical decisions.”

“Abortion is health care. It is wrong to force someone to remain pregnant when it’s not their choice, when it’s not the right time, or when it’s dangerous to their health or safety — a sad and dire reality for many. It is negligent to ‘ban abortion’ when abortion procedures will still happen, but are more likely to be unsafe under restrictive policies, needlessly and knowingly putting people’s lives at risk. And it is shameful to promote these policies in open pursuit of political power, under a ‘pro-life’ banner and in the name of innocents, while failing to use that power to protect our country’s children from the lethal dangers of poverty and violence.”

“I am really, really concerned about what this means for the practice of medicine and politics in the exam room,” Bettigole told KYW Newsradio. “This is as personal as a decision gets and it should be a decision they make with their health care provider, not with their governor, not with their state Legislature, not with any one of the many politicians who feel they should weigh in.”

Bettigole said the U.S. already has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality of any developed country, and this ruling could make it worse.

“This is also an equity issue. Maternal mortality is higher among Black women, and if we force more women or pregnant people to carry pregnancies to term that they didn’t want, because they were perhaps high-risk pregnancies or for other reasons in that person’s life, that is potentially going to have greater impact on our populations that are already at risk for higher maternal mortality.”

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization restores the American people’s ability to determine abortion laws through their elected representatives, as the Constitution requires. Precedents that are wrongly decided should be overturned, just as Brown v. Board of Education was right to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson. This ruling is a win for the unborn, the Constitution, and democratic governance.”

“Today’s decision upends almost a half-century of legal precedent and rips away a constitutional right that generations of women have known their entire lives. This dangerous ruling won’t end abortions in this country, but it will put women’s lives at risk. And make no mistake — this is not the end goal, it’s just the beginning. Republicans in Congress want to pass federal legislation to completely ban abortion. Our daughters and granddaughters should not grow up with fewer rights than their mothers.”

“I’m texting with my daughters about how emotional this moment is and how they feel abandoned, and that is why we must resist,” Gym told KYW Newsradio. “We’re going to do it for one another. We’re going to lead with a ton of love but we are going to lead with purpose and justice.

“The gubernatorial race is absolutely critical if we want to not see Pennsylvania go the way of Texas and Oklahoma, where abortion has effectively been banned and women’s health care has suffered.”

“The conservative members of the Supreme Court have done what they said they’d never do during their confirmation hearings: they reversed the Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion access a legal right. … This decision is a travesty.

“After 50 years of women having the right to make medical decisions for themselves and their own bodies, a body comprised predominately of men are making those decisions for them. Compounding the problem is as many as 13 states have passed “trigger laws,” expected to go into effect almost immediately with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Women in those states will not be allowed to terminate a pregnancy unless it endangers their life. Most of these laws don’t make exceptions for rape or incest.”

“We know that banning abortion won’t stop abortions — but it will significantly limit safe access for those without the resources or means to travel to receive care. Make no mistake — these attacks on abortion rights will disproportionately harm women of color and those struggling to make ends meet. It will limit the autonomy and agency of working-class people who already bear the brunt of unaffordable health care, underfunded public education, the widespread housing crisis, and our broken social safety net.

“While abortion is still legal in Pennsylvania, we know that the GOP is already doing everything in its power to limit access and outlaw abortion in our state. Already half a dozen pieces of legislation introduced in Harrisburg would virtually eliminate the right to choose here in PA.

“We must stand up everywhere against this deep injustice because we cannot allow voices of hate, suppression, and control to drown out our righteous majority. As a Black woman, a proud mother of four, and someone who has had an abortion, I firmly believe that every person should be in control of the decisions that shape their bodies, lives, and futures.”

“I want all of us to be mad and then take action,” she told KYW Newsradio. “We have right in front of us a November election where this is on the ballot, and we need to send a very strong message that we’re not going to go backward in Pennsylvania, that this is a health issue for us.”

“The Supreme Court of the United States has widened the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Women with means and wealth will still be able to access abortions. As a woman of color, I feel anguish knowing that those who look like me will be disproportionately affected by this economic and health justice issue. This decision sets women’s rights back fifty years. Women have lost the right to bodily autonomy, something our foremothers fought so courageously for. While I am pausing to mourn what has been lost, I am also ready to fight – for Philadelphians, for Pennsylvanians, and for all Americans.”

“I am grateful to the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States for their willingness to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and for their opinion, which affirms the deep value inherent to every human life.

“As Catholics, we believe that life is God’s most precious gift and that we share a responsibility to uphold its beauty and sanctity from conception to natural death. In addition to being strong advocates for the unborn, this responsibility extends to caring for the hungry, the poor, the sick, the immigrant, the elderly, the oppressed, and any of our brothers and sisters who are marginalized. In short, to be truly pro-life means to recognize the presence of God in everyone and to care for them accordingly.”

“We’re celebrating this is a phenomenal day in American history,” Vice Chair Ashley Garecht told KYW Newsradio, “and then moving forward. We are laser-focused on now bringing legislation about in Pennsylvania that will outlaw abortion. … Then what we will also do, and have been doing for the last 40 years, is supporting women in their pregnancies and beyond.”

“Our team is extremely resilient,” President and CEO Dayle Steinberg told KYW Newsradio. “We’ve been prepared for this decision. It’s still surprising, if not shocking, considering all that’s happened in the last few years. But our team is strong. They’re ready to fight back. But first and foremost, we are here to care for our patients and ensure that they have safe access to our facilities where they can receive the care that they need, and we will not back down.”

“Deciding how and when to become a mother is a decision that should always be made by a woman and her doctor — not politicians. If there were any doubts left about what’s at stake in this race, it became crystal clear today. The right to an abortion will be on the ballot this November in Pennsylvania. I will protect abortion rights. Dr. Oz will take them away. It’s that simple.”

“As a heart surgeon, I’ve held the smallest of human hearts in the palm of my hand, and will defend the sanctity of life. I am relieved that protecting the lives of America’s unborn children will once again be decided by the people through their elected representatives.”

“As a result of today’s decision, every American's personal freedoms now depend on the state in which they live. Here in Pennsylvania, decisions about your bodies will now be left to elected officials in Harrisburg — giving those politicians more power than women in our Commonwealth.

“Let me be clear: For now, abortion remains legal in Pennsylvania. Our laws have not changed with this ruling and abortion is permitted in Pennsylvania through the 23rd week of pregnancy, and afterward when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother. I plan to continue to defend doctors’ ability to practice medicine and women’s right to privacy against any efforts to enforce a defunct rule mandating women notify their husbands of their personal decisions.

“Unfortunately, I can’t give that same assurance to the women in places like Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and other states across our nation. Wheels are already in motion to ban abortion in more than half of our country. I can promise you that if patients travel from those states into Pennsylvania – I will fight to protect them and their doctors from extreme politicians attempting to illegally interfere.”

“Roe v. Wade is rightly relegated to the ash heap of history. As the abortion debate returns to the states, Pennsylvania must be prepared to lead the nation in being a voice for the voiceless. While this decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is a triumph for innocent life, it must not take our focus away from the key issue facing Pennsylvania families. Pennsylvanians will not be distracted by the hysterics of the left as they exploit this ruling to try to fulfill their far-left agenda. As they struggle with all-time record-high inflation, the people care deeply about the price of gas and groceries, as well as out-of-control crime and good-paying jobs — which is exactly why I will prioritize these issues as their governor.”

“It is rare in the United States for millions of Americans to wake up with fewer rights than they had the day before, but that is precisely what the Court has done here.

“For years, reproductive health care advocates were mocked for sounding the alarm about abortion rights. We were told Roe and Casey were settled law — today’s decision makes clear we were justified in our concern. Women are now facing the greatest threat to our reproductive freedom we’ve seen in half a century.

“It’s not just women of child-bearing age who will be impacted by this misguided, dangerous decision. It will hurt women of all ages, transgender and non-binary individuals, family units of all shapes and sizes, and ultimately, entire communities. This decision will impact health care rights far beyond the decision of whether to terminate a pregnancy, including contraception, in vitro fertilization, and non-reproductive health care. By far, the greatest burden of this decision will fall upon those who aren’t white, wealthy, and well-connected. The policies advocated by right-wing extremists are already spreading across the country and have been particularly harmful to Black and brown women, our LGBTQ neighbors, and low-income families.”

“Today is a wonderful day for the pro-life community and our efforts to save as many lives as possible. Unfortunately, Governor Murphy supports allowing abortions up until birth, so we still have much work to do to address this sickening taking of innocent lives here in New Jersey.”