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Here’s how Mass. officials are reacting to the potential end of Roe v. Wade
"The Republicans have been working toward this day for decades."
Roe v. Wade
Massachusetts lawmakers on Tuesday largely vowed to fight back and protect abortion access in light of a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court suggesting justices may soon overturn the court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade.
“The Republicans have been working toward this day for decades. They have been out there plotting, carefully cultivating these Supreme Court justices so they could have a majority on the bench that would accomplish something the majority of Americans do not want,” a visibly irritated Sen. Elizabeth Warren told a reporter in Washington D.C. in a now-viral video.
“Sixty-nine percent of people across this country…want Roe v. Wade to maintain as the law of the land,” Warren continued, apparently citing results of a poll conducted by CNN and published in January. “We need to do that….We’ve heard enough from extremists.”
Here’s how Massachusetts lawmakers and officials reacted to the news on Tuesday:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: ‘We’re not going back.’
Sen. Ed Markey: ‘There is no other recourse. We must expand the court.’
Rep. Ayanna Pressley: ‘Our fundamental right to abortion care is under attack’
“Black and brown folks have been sounding the alarms for years and none of it was hyperbole. Our fundamental right to abortion care is under attack, and the draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade shows that the stakes could not be higher. We must be clear: abortion care is still legal in America, but Congress must legislate to protect this fundamental human right and codify it into law. We know that our most vulnerable communities will bear the disproportionate brunt of any decision to restrict and deny access to abortion care—particularly Black, brown, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+ and low-income people. We must legislate as if our lives depend on it, because they do. The Senate must move with urgency to abolish the filibuster and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act without delay.”
Rep. Jim McGovern: ‘This is a disgrace’
Rep. Lori Trahan: ‘We need the Women’s Health Protection Act. We need it NOW!’
Rep. Katherine Clark: ‘We will not go quietly’
Rep. Seth Moulton: ‘Decisions like this are the result of a politicized Supreme Court that puts ideology ahead of our constitutional rights’
Rep. Jake Auchincloss: ‘We know that SCOTUS can’t be relied upon to uphold Roe’
Gov. Charlie Baker: ‘I am proud that MA has and will always protect every woman’s right to choose what is best for them’
Senate President Karen Spilka: ‘This is the emergency that we all feared. But this is America, and we all have a voice.’
House Speaker Ron Mariano: ‘A fundamental attack on women’s rights’
Attorney General Maura Healey: ‘We will keep defending the right to basic health care’
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu: ‘We are here. We are ready.’
Interim Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden: ‘I fully support Roe v. Wade’
“I fully support Roe v. Wade. As a prosecutor and the chief law enforcement official in Suffolk County, I will always work in support of laws that protect access to reproductive healthcare. Equitable access to health services – not just in Massachusetts but across our nation – helps ensure the rights and wellbeing of every woman. Public health is key to public safety, and it is a priority of my office.”
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