Roe v. Wade overturned: Mass. lawmakers, Congressional delegation react

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

Here is how members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation and state leaders are reacting: Gov. Charlie Baker: “I am deeply disappointed in today’s decision by the Supreme Court which will have major consequences for women across the country who live in states with limited access to reproductive health care services. The Commonwealth has long been a leader in protecting a woman’s right to choose and access to reproductive health services, while other states have criminalized or otherwise restricted access,” Baker said after signing an executive order to protect access to reproductive health care services in Massachusetts.

“This executive order will further preserve that right and protect reproductive health care providers who serve out of state residents. In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v Wade, it is especially important to ensure that Massachusetts providers can continue to provide reproductive health care services without concern that the laws of other states may be used to interfere with those services or sanction them for providing services that are lawful in the Commonwealth. ” Sen.

Edward Markey: “What we have feared most has come to pass. A stolen, illegitimate, and far-right majority on the Supreme Court has destroyed nearly fifty years of precedent guaranteeing the constitutional right to an abortion. The overturning of Roe v.

Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood is an egregious and overtly political act that jeopardizes the health, safety, and freedom of millions of Americans. “Thirteen states with ‘trigger laws’ will now impose radical and unjust bans on abortion.

Criminalizing abortion won’t stop abortion, it will only make it dangerous. Congress must do its part and respond to these affronts to reproductive freedom by passing the Women’s Health and Protection Act and codifying Roe into law – even if we must abolish the filibuster to do so. “I once again ask my Senate colleagues, what other judicial outrage must we endure from the illegitimate Supreme Court majority before we act? The most fundamental rights we hold dear as Americans are at stake.

The right to privacy is at stake. The right to use contraception is at stake. The right to marry who you love is at stake.

And with this decision, the very lives of those seeking to exercise their right to reproductive freedom are at stake. “We must act now and expand the Supreme Court to bring balance to the bench and restore its legitimacy in the eyes of the American people. ” Sen.

Elizabeth Warren: “Six radical Supreme Court Justices have overturned nearly 50 years of precedent, stripping away the constitutional right to an abortion. After decades of scheming, Republican politicians have finally forced their unpopular agenda on the rest of America. They have decided that the government – not the person who is pregnant – should make a private health care decision and deny women the right to control their own bodies and futures.

But these extremists will not have the final word. Democrats have tools to fight back, from legislation in Congress to executive orders from the President to initiatives at the state and local level – we just need to use them. We are angry – angry and determined.

We will not go back. Not now. Not ever.

” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey: “We knew this was coming, but that doesn’t make it any less painful, less enraging, or less terrifying for the tens of millions of people who stand to lose access to basic, life-saving care. Today, for the first time ever, the Court has taken away a constitutional right – a right that has been recognized for nearly half a century. But in Massachusetts and other states where abortion will remain legal and accessible, we’ll do everything we can to ensure patients from across the country can receive needed care and to support and protect our providers who are offering that care.

The majority of Americans want to keep abortion safe and legal, and I’m calling on Congress to do just that by codifying Roe. ” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu: “Right-wing justices, emboldened by a fringe minority, are endangering lives by stripping away basic reproductive rights. This cannot & will not stand.

In Boston we will never stop fighting for our freedoms & for each other. This moment does not belong to the far right. It belongs to us and, like our bodies, we decide what to do with it.

So, together, let’s meet this moment with all the urgency and courage it demands. ” Rep. Stephen Lynch: “In overruling Roe v.

Wade and nearly five decades of carefully-deliberated precedent protecting the fundamental right to privacy of all Americans, this Supreme Court majority has unwisely resolved to place political ideology above its Constitutional role as the impartial arbiter of the law and a guardian of our Constitution. “To the lasting detriment of the Court’s own legitimacy, this unwarranted and clearly political decision will invite—and even compel—additional government interference into private healthcare decisions and certainly threatens other core civil liberties derived from the Due Process Clause of the 14 th Amendment. “As a proud cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act , I will continue to strongly support efforts to codify Roe v.

Wade into law and ensure that the Constitutional right to privacy is not subject to political whim. ” Rep. Katherine Clark “Overturning the right to an abortion brings us to the horrifying reality of government-mandated pregnancy – we are now living in a dystopian nightmare.

Forced pregnancy is morally abhorrent, and this decision will set women back decades. “We have known this day was coming since the leaked Supreme Court draft was released early last month – but we have also predicted this outcome after watching the assault on reproductive rights orchestrated by Republicans for decades. This is the culmination of a scorched earth campaign against women’s rights, communities of color, and low-income families, and a roadmap of where the GOP is headed next if they gain more power in Congress.

“We are not powerless. It is critical that we protect and grow Democratic majorities in Congress and ensure that reproductive rights champions continue to win elected offices at all levels of government to guarantee that all people have control over their bodies and their futures. ” Rep.

Seth Moulton: “The newly-politicized Supreme Court has stolen control of women’s bodies and handed it to state politicians–mostly men, mostly white, and too many who are closer to far-right ideologues than the American people. Let’s be clear: Let’s also be clear: every Supreme Court justice promised to uphold Roe v. Wade in his or her confirmation hearing, so we now have a Supreme Court majority that we can’t trust to simply tell the truth.

Washington Republicans have created the Supreme Court in their own image. Thankfully, abortion is legal in Massachusetts and we will fight to keep it that way. But make no mistake that this basic right to privacy, to personal freedom, to safety and self-protection will be under assault everywhere in America.

The irony that brave young Americans risk their lives to fight for freedom around the world, while the Supreme Court is risking women’s lives by taking away their freedoms at home, should not be lost on anyone. This is a dark day in American history. We should all pray that Americans come together at the ballot box to turn back the Republicans who believe that they should own our freedoms, own our Congress, and own our Supreme Court for themselves.

” Rep. Lori Trahan: “The consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe are devastating. Millions of women are losing access to safe, legal abortion care immediately because of anti-abortion state laws taking effect now that the opinion is official.

Without any other option, many will risk their lives seeking out care through unsafe procedures. ” “That’s not the America we should want any of our daughters to grow up in, but it’s going to get worse if anti-choice extremists have their way. They’ve been working toward this decision for decades, and they’re already plotting to override state laws like the Roe Act so it’s illegal for every woman in America to control our own bodies.

” “The fight for abortion rights continues, and it’s one our daughters can’t afford for us to lose. ” Rep. Jake Auchincloss: “For the first time in my life, the Supreme Court has rolled back a fundamental individual right.

And a majority of Americans are angry. We’re angry because we know that women should control decisions about their own bodies and their own lives. Abortion is going to remain safe and legal in Massachusetts, and the Commonwealth is stepping up to be a safe haven for women who are in healthcare deserts.

At the federal level, we are also working to protect access to abortion medication. But what we really need is for the Senate to step up and follow the House’s lead in making Roe the law of the land. ” Rep.

Ayanna Pressley: “Today is a dark day in our nation’s history and this decision is a devastating confirmation of what Black and brown reproductive justice organizers have been sounding the alarms about for years: this Court will stop at nothing to strip away our reproductive freedom and our fundamental human right to bodily autonomy. “By obliterating the right to abortion across the nation, this extreme decision will push legal abortion care out of reach for our most vulnerable and exacerbate multiple public health crises, like the Black maternal mortality crisis. Let me be clear: by restricting abortion access, this Court is putting the health of the most vulnerable people at risk and we must use every tool, at every level of government, to protect reproductive rights and save lives.

“President Biden must recognize this as the public health emergency that it is and commit to utilizing every executive authority necessary to protect abortion access, including expanding access to medication abortion and over-the-counter-birth control, and protect the safety of those seeking and providing abortion care. States including Massachusetts have taken steps to become havens for those seeking necessary abortion care and I encourage other states to follow suit. “Abortion care is still legal in Massachusetts, and I urge residents to continue seeking care if they need it.

To the millions of people whose rights have been stolen overnight due to the cruelty and callousness of this extreme Supreme Court, know that this fight is not over. The Senate must abolish the filibuster and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act into law. We must expand the court to restore its integrity.

I won’t stop fighting for policies and budgets that affirm abortion care as the fundamental human right that it is. ” Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland): “Today is an extremely dark day for America, as we face what can only be called a ‘nightmare scenario’ for women and those who can get pregnant across this nation.

It is important to stress that abortion remains and will remain legal in Massachusetts. This fundamental right to health care is here to stay in the Commonwealth, and I will fight every day to strengthen and protect it. In its Fiscal Year 2023 budget, the Senate included language protecting access to reproductive health care, and today, Governor Baker issued an Executive Order which aligns very closely with this language.

There is increased urgency to codify these provisions so that we can ensure the safety and continued protections of our residents. I remain grateful that the Commonwealth stands united to safeguard these protections. “.