Local, state officials outraged following overturning of Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court released a decision Friday that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling establishing the right to reproductive healthcare.

The Court ruled 6-3 in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, with all six conservative justices concurring with the decision and all three liberal justices dissenting.

In a press conference held at Planned Parenthood’s Syracuse Health Center Friday afternoon, central New York legislators and local leaders spoke on the controversial ruling’s impact on future generations of Americans.

State Senator Rachel May, who represents Syracuse, opened the press conference by reflecting on what she called “a very sad day” for the entire country.

“This Supreme Court was put in place because of a 50-year plan to get them there, to mobilize people to vote on no issue other than abortion, to put in place right-wing politicians who would appoint right-wing justices,” May said. “It was a ruthless and relentless game plan.”

In his concurring opinion to the ruling, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stated the Court should reconsider “all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents” and the Court has “a duty to correct the error established in those precedents.” Such precedents include rulings involving birth control, sexual activity with the same sex and same-sex marriages.

During the conference, May warned that the conservatives’ effort may not stop at limiting lawful abortions.

“If you read what Justice Thomas wrote, he doesn’t want to stop here,” May said. “He wants to bend the ark away from contraception, from marriage equality, from so many things that we have learned to take for granted.”

Pamela Hunter, a New York state assemblymember representing portions of Syracuse as well as some bordering towns, joined May at the press conference. Hunter and May both called for those concerned with the ruling to vote in the upcoming elections.

“If you really care about reproductive rights and about the rights of women to be responsible for their own body, then you need to make sure that you are voting for people who believe the same thing as you,” Hunter said.

Syracuse Common Council President Helen Hudson said at the conference she remembers when Roe v. Wade was decided.

“Now, 50 years later, we’re fighting the same fight all over again,” she said.

Onondaga County Legislator Mary Kuhn echoed Hudson’s experience watching Roe v. Wade originally unfold.

“I was 24 … it was such a victory in 1973. And here I am now, I’m the speaker. Are you kidding me?” Kuhn said at the conference.

Hillary Warner, an organizer with Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, acknowledged that the bans on abortions will disproportionately harm Black and Latino people and other people of color because of the legacy of racism and discrimination rooted in the U.S..

While Warner was speaking at the conference, a woman drove by and yelled anti-abortion remarks from her car. Warner moved on, reassuring that reproductive and sexual healthcare services remain available in New York.

Outside of the conference, State Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement on Friday, calling the Supreme Court decision a “vicious, dangerous and deliberate attack” on reproductive rights.

“Every single person in this country should have the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies,” the statement read. “We will not go back to the inhumane and restrictive pre-Roe era. Regardless of the situation at the national level, New York will always be a safe haven for anyone seeking an abortion.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul called access to abortion a fundamental human right on Twitter shortly after the ruling. She reiterated her previous statements that abortion will remain legal in New York.

“Today the Supreme Court rolled back the rights of millions of Americans, disregarding their interests and – more importantly – their lives,” Hochul said.

Syracuse Common Councilor Michael Greene said the decision marks a sad day for the U.S. in an email statement to The Daily Orange.

“Now, more than ever, we must unite in defense of women’s rights,” Greene wrote.

The ruling came nearly two months after Politico revealed a leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito in early May, which sparked nationwide outcry against the potential repeal. In Syracuse, local leaders, scholars and abortion-rights advocates rallied outside government buildings and near Syracuse University’s campus following the leak.

President Joe Biden gave remarks after the decision was released.

“The health and life of women of our nation are now at risk,” Biden said. “Make no mistake. This decision is the culmination of a deliberate effort over decades to upset the balance of our law.”

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called the decision “extremist.”

“It’s turning the clock back another 50 years,” she continued. “This issue is on the ballot in November. I hope for many, it is the issue on the ballot,” she added.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republicans are complicit in the decision and its consequences.

“Today is one of the darkest days our nation has ever seen … the extremist MAGA Supreme Court … has stolen a fundamental right,” Schumer said.

Republican Rep. John Katko, who represents the state’s 24th Congressional District, has yet to comment on the court’s decision as of 8 p.m. Friday. The D.O. reached out to Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh’s office for comment but did not receive a statement as of the same time.

At the press conference outside of Syracuse’s Planned Parenthood building, Hudson called on people to keep fighting for reproductive rights.

“We have a Supreme Court that’s not hearing, that’s not listening to the people that they’re supposed to represent,” Hudson said.

This post will be updated with additional reporting.