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W E D N E S DAY, M AY 4 , 2 0 2 2
Fate of Roe v. Wade
CC-BY-SA-3.0/MATT H. WADE AT WIKIPEDIA
The nation was surprised Monday by the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on Roe v. Wade.
Draft opinion of abortion vote reverberates in California By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The U.S. Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights case, according to a draft opinion leaked this week. The unprecedented leak, first obtained by POLITICO, reverberated around the nation, leading anti-abortion advocates to cautiously celebrate while pro-choice supporters warned women could die if the opinion is formalized. It’s worth noting this is a draft opinion authored by Justice Samual Alito, considered to be a more conservative voice on the bench, in February — meaning justices could have already tweaked the opinion or changed how they would vote. Opinions — which are the court’s decisions on a case typically including lengthy writings about history and law — are not final until a formal opinion is handed down, and drafts are often circulated as deliberations occur. Opinions are issued before the final day of the court’s term. They typically are announced in June. Still, the leak was unprecedented and offered the world an insiders’ look at a direction the nation’s highest court has, at the very least, considered when it comes to abortion access. The opinion said both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (a case that came nearly 20 years later that reaffirmed Roe) should be overruled. It argued Roe v. Wade was “egregiously wrong from the start” with “exceptionally weak” reasoning and “damning” consequences. “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,” the opinion said. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” the opinion said. The Supreme Court has verified the authenticity of the draft opinion published by POLITICO, and Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an investigation into how it was leaked. “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed,” Justice Roberts said
DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Supporters of Roe v. Wade march down De la Guerra Street toward State Street.
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
“The ability to get an abortion will depend on where you live and how much money you have,” Dr. Jenna Tosh, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Central Coast, said.
Tuesday morning. “The work of the Court will not be affected in any way.” According to POLITICO, Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, all appointed by Republican presidents, sided with Justice Alito’s opinion. If the draft opinion, or a similar opinion, is in fact handed down by the Supreme Court, how could it impact California? Should the Supreme Court strike down Roe v. Wade, 26 states would ban or greatly restrict abortion through trigger clauses already in place or indications they would enact restrictions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research organization. In California, access to abortion is unlikely to change, but it could see an influx of women coming into the state for such services from places where abortion would be banned, such as nearby Arizona. The Guttmacher Institute estimated California could see a nearly 3,000% increase in women whose nearest abortion provider would be in California. “The ability to get an abortion will depend on where you live and how much money you have,” Dr. Jenna Tosh, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Central Coast, said in a statement provided to the News-Press. “We will never stop fighting until all people have the rights and the ability to make decisions that are best for them, their family and their future,” Dr. Tosh Please see ROE V. WADE on A2
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Crowd gathers in De la Guerra Plaza, marches on State Street to support abortion rights By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Former state Sen. Hannah Beth Jackson gave a fiery speech Tuesday evening in support of abortion rights in front of a large crowd, who heard other speakers as well at a quickly organized rally in De la Guerra Plaza. After Ms. Jackson’s speech, the crowd marched to and up State Street in support of Roe v. Wade with signs such as “We won’t go back!” “This is a hard day. Like all of you, I’m angry. I’m heartbroken,” Dr. Jenna Tosh, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Central Coast, told the large audience, referring to the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion calling for overturning Roe v. Wade. Justices have not issued their final ruling, which likely will be issued sometime in June. “Today Roe v. Wade is still the
law of land. Abortion remains safe can become pregnant.” and legal,” Dr. Tosh said. She also noted an abortion ban “But we know the final ruling would disproportionaly affect lowis coming, and we expect it income people and minorities. sometime before July,” Dr. Tosh “Wealthy people will always be said. “And if the final ruling able to travel out of state for the looks like what we saw last night, care that they need.” we know there are 26 states in Dr. Tosh warned politicians the country that will move to who favor abortion bans will ban abortion come after birth overnight, control rights and including 13 states marriage rights, that have what as well as trans • The Santa Barbara County are called trigger health care. Republican Party is concerned laws, which means “This is not just about an Assembly Bill 2233. A2. immediately about abortion,” • More stories are on A2, A4. in those 13 she said. “This states, people is about who has would lose their power over you.” constitutional right to safely and Later, former state Sen. Jackson, legally end a pregnancy.” a Santa Barbara Democrat, gave “No!!!!!” the crowd responded. a passionate speech in which Dr. Tosh said that a ban on she called for action to preserve abortion in 26 states would spell abortion rights. the loss of reproductive for 36 “We’re going to demand we get million women, trans people and rid of the filibuster (in Senate), nonbinary people of reproductive at the very least on the issues age. “That’s half of the people who related to our fundamental rights
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as women and human beings,” Ms. Jackson said. “Every person should be given that basic human dignity,” she said, her voice growing louder. “When people deny that to us, we have to vote them out!” The crowd cheered. Then Ms. Jackson called for the Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which the House approved in September. The legislation is designed to protect a person’s ability to decide whether to continue or end a pregnancy and protects a health care provider’s ability to provide abortion services. “We have to demand Congress pass the legislation, which is sitting in some wastebasket in the Senate,” Ms. Jackson said. She called on President Joe Biden, who promised to sign the bill, to do so if the Senate approves it. email: dmason@newspress.com
At left, a large crowd gathers in De la Guerra Plaza to hear speakers call for protecting Roe v. Wade. At right,f ormer state Sen. Hannah Beth Jackson delivers a passionate speech in support of abortion rights.
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L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 3-15-21-35-46 Meganumber: 18
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 6-4-3-8
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: N/A Meganumber: N/A
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 1-12-27-29-38
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 09-12-04 Time: 1:48.14
Monday’s POWERBALL: 18-27-33-39-44 Meganumber: 8
Sudoku................... B3 Sports . .................... A3 Weather................. A4
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 2-4-5 / Wednesday’s Midday 3-2-6