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'A sad day for the autonomy of women': Georgia critics comment on Supreme Court abortion ruling

13WMAZ spoke with abortion-rights supporters and they tell us they're concerned about women's rights and women's health after the landmark ruling.

MACON, Ga. — The decision from the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade could affect the future of women's health for millions of Americans. 

The court sided with the state of Mississippi and moved to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion.

We spoke with abortion-rights supporters and they tell us they're concerned about women's rights and women's health after the landmark ruling.  

"It makes me sad and a little bit scared,” says Dr. Rebecca Woo.

Woo is a perinatal psychiatrist at Emory University who spoke at a women's health conference Friday at Mercer. Her specialty is in maternal mental health.

"I'm a little bit in denial about how this is going to happen, but I think that it's going to affect medical providers in terms of the quality of care that they can offer and patients as well,” she explains. 

Woo says this may affect women both physically and mentally.

"Patients who have significant pre-existing mental or medical conditions that cannot terminate a pregnancy that may threaten their well-being may find-- not only are they struggling physically-- but they're also struggling emotionally while they're trying to navigate what the consequences of that pregnancy may be on their health,” Woo says. 

Lynn Snyder, co-president of Georgia Women and Those Who Stand With Us ( A Central Georgia women's issues group) says it's "a sad day for the autonomy of women to choose what they do with their own bodies.” 

"I've seen both sides. I've seen what women will do and I've seen what safe, legal abortions will do and-- it's a sad day, a very sad day,” she says. 

Snyder says this decision will not get rid of abortions, just the safe ones. Mostly for women with low-incomes.

"Going back 50 years or more, where women choose to take it upon themselves to induce an abortion using a knitting needle, or crochet hook, or something like that. Or go to some back-alley abortionist,” she explains. 

Snyder says there's a larger issue.

"These are not pro-life issues. This is a pro-birth issue. The laws that we have on the books protect the pre-born, but once the baby's born-- they want nothing to do with it."

Snyder says her group does not plan to organize a protest because they'd rather spend time urging people to support candidates who'll stand for women's rights. 

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