Local officials share reaction to Roe v. Wade draft opinion

Elected officials tell News 12 they’re still reeling as the justices appear poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and leave it up to the states to determine abortion laws.

News 12 Staff

May 4, 2022, 2:59 AM

Updated 886 days ago

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Local elected officials shared what they plan to do next and how they reacted when they first heard about the leaked Supreme Court draft.
Elected officials tell News 12 they’re still reeling as the justices appear poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and leave it up to the states to determine abortion laws.
"This is really undoing 50 years of precedent and we are back again in a place where we are talking about women's health care, reproductive health care in a legal context,” said State Assembly Member Karine Reyes.
Reyes, a chairperson of the New York State Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus, is also a registered nurse. She says elimination of reproductive health services is much more than just abortions.
“This is preventative services, screening services,” she added. “This is how we caught a bunch of cancers in women, whether it be cervical cancer or uterine cancer."
Reyes told News 12 she has a bill that would create an abortion access fund for women who may not be able to afford it. Her fellow Bronx Assembly Member Amanda Septimo says to be on the lookout for funds like that considering these latest developments.
“We want to make sure that women who can't access health care rights in their state will be able to travel to New York and other states that are more friendly," noted Septimo.
Congress members Adriano Espaillat and Ritchie Torres are also making their voice heard. Both believe the Senate should act quickly to codify the right to abortion into law and should abolish the filibuster in order to do so.
“We cannot allow millions of women to be stripped of control of their own bodies, which is an essential element of one's privacy and equality,” said Torres.
"I think women should have the right to choose what to do with their own body and for men in the court to choose to tell women what to do is egregious," said Espaillat.