New York Abortion Rights and Proposals for Additional Pro-Choice Actions

May 12, 2022
Abortion Rights

                   Gov. Hochul speaks at an "abortion justice" event (photo: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

                                              *Reposted from Gotham Gazette. Written by Samar Khurshid.*

 

A draft majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, which was leaked and reported on by Politico, would strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that granted a federal constitutional right to an abortion. Though the opinion — on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case involving Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks — is not a final decision and is subject to change, it has caused national outrage among pro-choice elected officials, advocates, and individuals.

The draft opinion – which Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed on Tuesday was authentic – was written by Justice Samuel Alito with Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett expected to concur in a majority. The judges would vote to overrule not only Roe v. Wade but also the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision from 1992 that upheld the ruling. The court’s final decision is expected in June.

“This is not simply a draft of a devastating and politically motivated Supreme Court opinion, it is a roadmap for dismantling our fundamental right to safe, legal abortion, a right codified nearly FIFTY YEARS AGO,” said Joy Calloway, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, in a statement. “Abortion bans are designed to deny Black, Latinx, Asian and Indigenous people their right to control their bodies and futures. These bans disproportionally harm people with low incomes who cannot afford access to fundamental health care or travel to get it. Abortion bans are the perpetuation of racism, sexism, and economic injustice in a country that has a long history of stripping people of their own personal autonomy."

Though the court’s decision could quickly lead to abortion bans in many states, including roughly 13 that have so-called trigger laws in place awaiting this type of potential ruling, and thus the criminalization of abortions across the country, New York would remain a state with access to safe and legal abortions.

Click here to read the entire article from Gotham Gazette.