How Centre County leaders are reacting to the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned
The United States Supreme Court could be set to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion, according to Politico.
Politico reported Monday that the Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark decision, based on a leaked initial draft majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, that the news outlet obtained.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts, in a statement, confirmed the authenticity of the ruling and said it “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.” He also called for an investigation into the leak.
The final opinion is expected this summer and it could change if Supreme Court justices change their votes. Abortion remains legal in the United States.
If the court follows through with overturning the case, it would split the country into states with abortion access and those that outlaw it, according to the Associated Press. Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
In a statement Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf wrote that the draft opinion, if or when it becomes final, “is a stunning, seismic reversal and will set back women’s and birthing people’s health care by decades.”
Wolf, who is nearing his term limit, vowed to continue to veto any legislation that threatens abortion access. Every Republican gubernatorial candidate has said they’d support various measures restricting abortion.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Josh Shapiro has made clear he’d veto an abortion ban as governor.
“A woman’s right to choose and make decisions over her own body is on the ballot,” he wrote in a tweet.
As the nation reacts to the news, Centre County representatives have also responded.
Paul Takac, a Democrat on the College Township Council and candidate for Pennsylvania’s House District 82, which would cover Centre County, organized a rally for reproductive rights, and safe and legal abortion access, for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Allen Street Gates in downtown State College.
In a statement, Takac said he feels “horror, sadness, anger, and frustration.” He called on the United States Senate to codify Roe v. Wade into law, and if needed, abolish the filibuster to do so.
“Considering the other precedents and cases cited, it is clear that if this opinion holds for the final vote, we will see other anti-discrimination laws repealed, affecting the lives of working-class women, people of color, and those in the LGBTO+ community all across the country,” Takac wrote. “From same sex and interracial marriage to equal protections under law, nothing will be safe or off limits from this activist Supreme Court.”
U.S. Congressman Fred Keller, R-Kreamer, in a statement, said Roe v. Wade was “wrongly decided.”
“After nearly 50 years since Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided, I am thrilled that we are closer than ever to delivering historic pro-life protections for the unborn,” Keller wrote.
He said leaks at the Supreme Court are rare and that this leak represents “the undermining of the Court’s ability to deliberate impartially on our nation’s most pressing issues.”
“While it is my hope that the Supreme Court will uphold the constitutionality of the Dobbs v. Jackson case that supports life by banning abortions 15 weeks after conception — setting the stage for Roe v. Wade to be overturned— we must ensure that leaks like this do not become a partisan tool to sway the opinion of the Court. In Congress, I have always fought for the dignity of human life. Nothing is more important than life,” he wrote.
Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, in a tweet Tuesday, said “this news brightly illustrates just how fragile our democracy has become when the powers that be attempt to seize control of any individual’s basic autonomy.”
As voters across Pennsylvania head to the polls this month and in November, Conklin said electing Shapiro for Pennsylvania governor is “one way to provide a safeguard,” but said further action needs to be taken to “enshrine these rights into our state constitution.”
Pennsylvania State Senator Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, who is also running for governor of Pennsylvania, tweeted a video of himself talking with reporters during a campaign stop about the possibility of overture.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we tried to move legislation, and I would encourage that we move legislation as soon as we’re allowed,” Corman said. “Clearly Tom Wolf will veto anything. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to do what we can to protect the unborn.“
He said if elected governor, he and the Republican legislature will work together to determine the “best thing” to do.
