SLO County reacts to Supreme Court’s draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
Policymakers, activist groups and community members in San Luis Obispo County shared their thoughts about the Supreme Court’s decision to repeal Roe v. Wade, which established the federal right to abortion nearly 50 years ago.
On Monday, Politico reported that the Supreme Court voted to repeal Roe v. Wade in a draft opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alito.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” said Alito in the draft opinion obtained by Politico.
The decision to repeal Roe v. Wade could lead to a cascade of state laws further restricting access to abortion.
“If Roe is overturned, 26 states are expected to immediately lose access to abortion care,” Morro Bay City Councilmember Dawn Addis said in a statement. “California lawmakers have stated that they will expand services to those in need of care regardless of where those people come from or their economic situation.”
California plans to be a sanctuary for state residents and people from out of state seeking reproductive services if Roe is to be overturned, according to lawmakers.
The majority of Americans support access to abortion.
Local, state and federal officials speak out on abortion rights
In May 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a “California Proclamation on Reproductive Freedom” which protects access to abortion, family planning services and reproductive privacy for Californians and other people who seek reproductive services in the state.
“This is not an isolated incident, and it is not the end,” Newsom said in a statement Monday. “We have a Supreme Court that does not value the rights of women, and a political minority that will stop at nothing to take those rights away. This won’t stop with choice and the right to privacy. They are undermining progress, and erasing the civil protections and rights so many have fought for over the last half century.”
Other lawmakers along the Central Coast have issued statements echoing their support for women’s right to an abortion.
“A majority of Americans over multiple generations have supported a woman’s right to choose. Five justices cannot change that. This is a call to action for all who believe in women’s reproductive rights,” Congressman Salud Carbajal said in a statement.
Carbajal said he has backed legislation in the House of Representatives that protects reproductive freedom. “This pending decision makes its failure to pass in the Senate inexcusable.”
Addis is a board member of the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund and co-founder of the Women’s March in San Luis Obispo. She issued a statement solidifying women’s right to choice in Morro Bay.
In January, the Morro Bay City Council voted 4-1 to pass a resolution affirming reproductive freedom in Morro Bay.
“Reproductive care is an urgent need for people in Morro Bay and across the Central Coast,” Addis said about the resolution. “The onslaught of attacks on reproductive care threatens our entire community. Even in a state that has historic protections, it’s up to us to make sure access is never rolled back.”
SLO County residents react to court’s draft opinion
Local residents interviewed by The Tribune in downtown San Luis Obispo had mixed feelings about the leaked ruling.
Linda Hardy and Claire McClure, who self-identify as “Christian pro-life advocates,” said they do not agree with the way the draft opinion was released, but the contents of the opinion make them hopeful because they do not believe Roe v. Wade should have been decided. The two were outside Planned Parenthood in San Luis Obispo praying for “unborn children.”
Maddie Kelly, a women and gender studies major at Cal Poly, told the Tribune she was shocked and disgusted by the draft opinion and initially thought it was another far-right disinformation campaign. But when she realized its authenticity, she said, she was horrified.
“Nine people with the most power in the country have control over millions of people’s lives, regardless of what the majority of Americans want and believe in,” Kelly said. “It’s just really frustrating that it’s so bureaucratic.”
According to a recent poll by ABC News and The Washington Post, 70 percent of Americans believe the decision to have an abortion should be between a person that can get pregnant and their doctor.
Bernadette Miller, a yoga instructor from Santa Margarita, said she was shocked by the draft opinion. She said she knows California is a more progressive state and has deemed itself a sanctuary state, but she noted that San Luis Obispo County does have some more conservative politics that may have an impact with reproductive access. She said she’s frightened for the impact this decision could have on people who can get pregnant.
“All these people, all these women who no longer have a choice, who are still going to end up finding a way if they need to and possibly be harmed in that process, it’s upsetting,” she said.
Activist groups plan to ‘speak up, show up’ for reproductive freedom
Planned Parenthood Central Coast and Women’s March San Luis Obispo, two organizations with a vested interest in protecting abortion rights, are planning local demonstrations in support of abortion rights.
Women’s March in San Luis Obispo said the leaked draft “is an alarming sign of what’s to come for the legal right to abortion.”
“If Roe is overturned, we know that as many as 26 states are set to immediately ban abortion care, leaving millions of people without access,” according to Women’s March San Luis Obispo. “We cannot stand by and quietly let this happen. Now is exactly the time to keep showing up, speaking up, and making our voices heard.”
Planned Parenthood Central Coast in a statement posted to Instagram that the news about the Supreme Court’s plans to revoke Roe was “confirming our worst fears.”
“This is far from over. We have strength in numbers and power in our united voices,” the organization said.
Both organizations called on community members to gather and protest tonight.
Community groups, including Women’s March SLO, are inviting community members to gather at SLO Superior Court at 1050 Monterey St. at 5 p.m.
Planned Parenthood Central Coast is gathering at 5 p.m. at De La Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara and at Santa Maria City Hall.
“I’m furious that my own daughters and sons could grow up in an America that is less free than the one they were born into,” Newsom said. “We have to wake up. We have to fight like hell. We will not be silenced.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 2:14 PM.
