The United States Supreme Court today has overturned Roe v. Wade, the decision that guaranteed women’s right to have an abortion, and lawmakers from Los Angeles have responded, one saying it is dangerous and divisive.
The ruling, ending the 49-year-old decision, puts abortion policy at the discretion of states, many that have restricted and outlawed the procedure in recent months.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said the decision is a betrayal of the commitments made by recent justices during their confirmation hearings, who indicated under oath they would uphold decades of legal precedent.
“It is a repudiation of some of our nation’s most cherished values, from the right to privacy to the right of everyone to make their own health care decisions,” Schiff said in a released statement. “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.”
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling is being described as the most significant curtailing of an established constitutional right in court’s history.
The opinion written by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. is similar to a draft that was leaked by Politico in May.
“We hold that Roe and [the 1992 Planned Parenthood vs.] Casey must be overruled,” Alito wrote. “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely—the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined 10 mayors from across the country in issuing a joint statement on abortion rights.
Robert Garcia of Long Beach, Todd Gloria of San Diego, Vicente Sarmiento of Santa Ana, Paige Cognetti of Scranton, Penn., Tishaura Jones of St. Louis, Sam Liccardo of San Jose, Lori E. Lightfoot of Chicago, Libby Schaaf of Oakland, Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento and Satya Rhodes-Conway of Madison, Wis. signed the statement declaring their cities will continue to serve as places where women and all people can make their own reproductive decisions.
“We commit to using every tool at our disposal as mayors to stand up for women in the face of attempts to deprive them of fundamental rights—and call on our leaders in Congress and our statehouses to reverse the impacts of this decision and protect a woman’s right to choose,” according to the statement.
“Further, the draft opinion overturning Roe opens the door to the repeal of many privacy-based rights that form the basis of our society and underpin the very concept of American liberty. These freedoms, including the freedom to marry the person you love free of discrimination, are under threat with this decision. We cannot allow this egregious attack on the progress our country has made.”
The mayors’ statement recognizes that over the past 50 years, Roe and Casey have made a profound and positive impact on the lives of millions of women—particularly young and minority women—and their partners.
“Access to safe and legal abortion has saved countless lives. American women, for the first time, have been able to plan their reproductive, economic, and social lives—leading to tremendous gains in not just health and personal freedom, but equity and quality of life in our communities.
“Put simply: Reproductive rights are critical to women’s healthcare and self-determination. By denying this fundamental right to the people of the United States, the Court is not only curtailing an essential freedom to American citizens, but they are also imposing a dangerous and failed policy decision upon millions of Americans. An abortion ban will not stop women from seeking this basic health care, but rather make it illegal and less safe. We know that planned pregnancies lead to dramatically better outcomes for mothers, children, and families, and that even the widespread use of contraceptives cannot fully eliminate unintended pregnancies. Nothing less than women’s health, safety, and futures are at stake—and we must protect their right to control their own bodies and lives.”
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys said, “The Supreme Court is criminalizing women.”
“The majority’s theological bent wants to keep women barefoot and pregnant and is a throwback to when women were property and knew their place. That past is our future if Americans don’t wake up and vote,” he said.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the ruling 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,” Hahn said. “This ruling will not end abortion—even for women living in red states. We must ensure that California and pro-choice states across the country continue to be a haven for reproductive rights.”
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has abolished a fundamental right for the first time in history—relegating women, especially women without resources, to the back alley or worse.
“As the dissent notes, the court majority has made women lesser citizens, subject to the whim of politicians on this most intimate of decisions. And other core rights may soon be on the chopping block,” Feuer said in a released statement.
“Women who live in states across the nation that eliminate women’s reproductive rights will turn to California, and Los Angeles, for help. We must step up, expanding clinic capacity and finding ways to support women and girls who flee states where abortion is illegal and worry they can never return without confronting legal consequences.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) said he was deeply distraught by the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion.
“It is, unfortunately, exactly as we feared. 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. These justices lied to the Senate and the American people to be confirmed. It should come as no surprise that public confidence in the Supreme Court is at its lowest. Conservative justices, who have often decried legislating from the bench, will now impose their radical views on abortion onto the rest of the country,” Lieu said in a statement.
“Ultimately, this is a personal liberties issue. Some religions support abortion, and some religions oppose abortion. Abortion is a complicated and personal decision. That is exactly why it is wrong for the government to unilaterally make a decision that should rest with the woman, her doctor, her God and her family. The criminalization of abortion, which is what Republicans want, is an attack on bodily autonomy and an attack on an individual’s right not to be pregnant.”
Schiff said the Supreme Court’s decision did not happen in a vacuum and has been in the works for years.
“After waging an all-out assault against abortion access for decades, after committing shocking acts of constitutional disrespect by withholding the confirmation of a justice nominated by a Democratic president and jamming through a Republican nominee during an election campaign, after conspiring with state legislators across the country to put forth some of the most draconian criminal penalties imaginable, Republicans are now one step closer to their ultimate goal: a nationwide ban on abortion,” Schiff said.
“Make no mistake, this court is not conservative—it is partisan, with a partisan and socially backward agenda.”
The opinion was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. concurred, but did not join the majority opinion. He said he would have upheld a Mississippi 15-week ban on abortion, but would have not overturned Roe v. Wade.
“The court’s decision to overrule Roe and Casey is a serious jolt to the legal system,” Roberts wrote.
Justice Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented.
“Today, the court … says that from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of,” their dissent read. “A state can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs.”
Schiff said, “We have come too far and fought too hard to enshrine the right to choose for Republicans to roll back the clock. We must bring an end to this national nightmare, and make sure the American people know that Democrats have always been and will always be the party fighting for women’s fundamental rights. We must codify Roe, and ensure women control their health care decisions for generations to come.”
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