Massachusetts lawmakers decried the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.
Rep. Katherine Clark, the House’s fourth-highest ranking Democrat, called the decision “dystopian.”
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. But we are not powerless. We will fight.
— Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) June 24, 2022
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement that “extremists will not have the final word.”
“After decades of scheming, Republican politicians have finally forced their unpopular agenda on the rest of America,” she wrote. “They have decided 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.”
She said Democrats have the tools to fight back, from legislation to executive orders. “We are angry — angry and determined,” she said. She said in a video not to give up hope.
Sen. Ed Markey called for expanding the Supreme Court and passing a federal law protecting the right to abortion nationwide.
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. Abolish the filibuster, pass the Women's Health Protection Act, and expand the Court now.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) June 24, 2022
Rep. Seth Moulton called the decision “terribly wrong.”
Rep. Richard Neal echoed his fellow Democrats’ call to fight.
Today’s ruling is the dangerous culmination of Republicans’ decades-long effort to roll back women’s freedoms and control their health care decisions. This ruling is a distressing and shameful step backwards. Democrats will fight like hell to protect women’s rights.
— Rep. Richard Neal (@RepRichardNeal) June 24, 2022
Rep. Lori Trahan said without access to legal abortion, many pregnant people will now seek 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,” she said. 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.”
Mass. Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat who is running for governor, called it a “dark day in our history.” She reiterated that abortion is legal in Massachusetts and she will do “everything in my power to keep it that way.”
Today is a dark day in our history. For nearly 50 years, the constitutional right to abortion has saved lives. It is freedom, healing, and the chance to live your life on your own terms. That will never change, which is why we can never give up on realizing this freedom for all.
— Maura Healey (@maura_healey) June 24, 2022
Abortion in Massachusetts and the rest of New England is likely to remain legal. In Massachusetts, abortion is legal through 24 weeks of pregnancy, under state law.
State lawmakers are working on several proposals to preserve and in some cases, expand, access to abortion. One would protect people in Massachusetts who help out-of-state residents obtain an abortion.
Massachusetts Attorney General candidate Andrea Campbell said the decision will disproportionately harm women of color and low-income people.
This story is developing. It will be updated.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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