Our 167th Year
S AT U R DAY, J U N E 25, 2 02 2
Roe v. Wade overturned
Supreme Court delivers anticipated decision
Pro-choice advocates condemn Supreme Court decision at Santa Barbara rally
Biden: ‘It’s a sad day for our country but it doesn’t mean the fight is over’
Pro-choice, pro-life advocates react to court’s ruling By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that prevented states from banning abortion. The court ruled 6-3 in Dobbs v. Jackson in favor of upholding Mississippi’s law banning abortions after 15 weeks. The ruling that there is no Constitutional right to an abortion and that it is therefore up to each state to decide how to handle the issue was 5-4, as Chief Justice John Roberts said that he would uphold the Mississippi law without dismantling Roe. About half of U.S. states have laws on the books that will place tighter restrictions on abortion than what Roe allowed. “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives,” a syllabus of the ruling reads. The high court called the Roe v. Wade ruling “egregiously wrong.” “Like the infamous decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, Roe was Please see ROE on A3
75¢
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Luz Reyes-Martin (foreground), vice president of Community Engagement of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, finishes her speech as hundreds of people gather early Friday evening for a rally at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. They were protesting the U.S. Supreme Court decision that morning to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Local pro-choice advocates reacted with dismay Friday to the Supreme Court ruling Friday morning overturning Roe v. Wade and vowed to fight the decision. “This is a devastating day,” Jenna Tosh, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, told the NewsPress. “The Supreme Court has taken away the federal right to abortion and overturned Roe v. Wade, turning its back on 50 years of precedent. “At Planned Parenthood, we believe that personal medical decisions should be made by you and you alone,” Ms. Tosh said. “Lawmakers and judges should not be making decisions about our bodies, our lives or our futures.” In a news release, Planned Parenthood California Central Coast said, “We are outraged and ready to fight. The Supreme Court has taken away the constitutional right to abortion, a right we’ve had for nearly 50 years. The court, now dominated by justices hostile to reproductive freedom, has robbed millions of the power to control decisions about their bodies, their lives and their futures.” But others in the community and California said the decision correctly puts the matter in the hands of the states and noted it won’t affect California. Bobbi McGinnis, chair of the Santa Barbara County Republican Party, sees the Supreme Court ruling as a win for both sides. “The decision made by the Supreme Court today is not a surprise. It has little impact on California,” she told the NewsPress, adding, “I think it is a win Please see REACTIONS on A3
COURTESY PHOTOS
Justice Samuel Alito penned the majority opinion undoing Roe v. Wade.
Signs such as this one represented the pro-choice supporters’ views outside the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
President Joe Biden referred to “matters of family and personal autonomy” is desagreeing with the decision.
MORE INSIDE
For more on the end of Roe v. Wade, see pages A3, A4 and B4
Hundreds of people on the Santa Barbara County Courthouse lawn listened to pro-choice speakers at the end of a day that started with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The crowd at the early evening Planned Parenthood California Central Coast rally in Santa Barbara carried handmade signs with messages such as “The UnSupreme Court” and “Not the church, not the state; women will decide our fate.” Motorists passing them Friday on Anacapa Street honked in support. After the rally at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, the pro-choice supporters marched down nearby streets. The rally took place at the same time as similar Planned
FOLLOW US ON
66833 00050
3
can climb this ladder,” Dr. Moore said. Elena Anderson, chair of the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund, stressed that the nonprofit would fight for reproductive rights. “We knew this (the Supreme Court ruling) was coming, but it still doesn’t take away the sting,” she said. “There are so many feelings of heartbreak and hurt.” Ms. Anderson said the ruling will disproportionately affect “black folks, people of color, trans folk, people who can’t afford to get to California or other states where they can have access” to an abortion. Luz Reyes-Martin, vice president of community engagement for Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, hosted the rally and ended
the rally by calling on pro-choice supporters to take action. “Here’s something you can do: Vote in every election,” Ms. Reyes-Martin said. “California will have an opportunity to put the right to abortion and contraceptives in the California state constitution.” (The proposed constitutional amendment will require the approval of two-thirds of legislators before it appears on the Nov. 8 ballot.) “You can donate to abortion funds at abortionfund.org,” she said. “We need to get resources to as many people as possible, to help them overcome the barriers to access. “You can support your local Planned Parenthood,” she said. “We’re not going anywhere.” email: dmason@newspress.com
NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTOS
Rep. Salud Carbajal
Dr. Brad Allen
LOTTERY
i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
6
Parenthood gatherings at the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse in San Luis Obispo and the Ventura County Government Center in Ventura. During the Santa Barbara rally, speakers urged the crowd, made up of women and men, to support the fight to restore the federal abortion right. “Tonight we mourn. Tomorrow we fight back,” a woman who simply identified herself as Chloe told the crowd. Chloe said she was thankful she was able to get an abortion when she and her partner realized they weren’t ready to become parents. Another speaker, the Rev. Dr. David Moore, stressed the importance of not going backward on the climb up the ladder of freedom. “We can’t afford to allow the rungs to disappear so that nobody
Signs stress women’s desires to never go back to the days of unsafe abortions and to respect abortion rights.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ a4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 24-33-35-38-42 Mega: 4
Friday’s DAILY 4: 2-6-2-3
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 1-7-11-25-56 Mega: 14
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 5-9-27-36-39
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-02-09 Time: 1:41.84
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 6-10-31-48-56 Meganumber: 12
Friday’s DAILY 3: 8-3-2 / Midday 9-0-0