Here’s what Centre County community leaders, groups had to say about Roe being overturned
For some, it was a day of celebration. For most — based on national pollsters’ data — it was a day that will live in infamy.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, revoking the federal constitutional right to an abortion and leaving it up to the states. Experts have called it the “most consequential Supreme Court decision in decades,” while Centre County residents’ attitudes ranged from hailing this as a victory for the unborn to others railing against this as a horrific erosion of fundamental human rights.
To gauge the reaction of Centre County, the Centre Daily Times reached out to nearly three dozen officials, community leaders and groups — both political and unpolitical, right wing and left wing — to see their thoughts on the issue. How did they feel about the ruling? What does it mean for this community? And what did they want the community to know?
Here are the responses we received:
Sam Ajah, president of Penn State College Democrats: This ruling affects everyone and will fundamentally alter our society for the worse. We are not powerless in this situation. Through direct action in your community, staying involved in local civics, we can work against this disastrous and dangerous ruling.
Anne Ard, executive director of Centre Safe: The reason this is so horrendous is because the premise of bodily autonomy — that every human being should the right to say what happens to their bodies, who gets to touch them and how — that ought to be sacrosanct. That is fundamental to what it means to be human, that you have the right to decide who touches you in what way. We talk about that whenever we talk about consent when we’re talking about sexual violence, whenever we talk about physical safety when we talk about domestic violence. ... So that the courts would feel they can act in a fundamentally abusive way, which is to tell people who are pregnant what they can and cannot do to their bodies, it’s just horrific. It’s inter-personal violence moved to a grand scale. It is abusive behavior that we see at a state and national level. It clearly is; it’s a clear line. So I think it’s a devastating decision.
Daniel Arter, pastor of Grace & Peace Bible Church: As a Christian who believes in the sanctity of human life, I cannot help but rejoice and give thanks that the Supreme Court overruled a decision that effectively cost the lives of so many unborn children. I realize that many people view the issue at hand differently than me and how other Christians do; but realize that the issue with Roe v. Wade and abortion in general is not that we disregard the rights of women, but rather, we recognize and cherish the rights of unborn children. The primary issue at hand concerns the morality and ethics of prematurely ending a person’s life — no child should lose their life because of someone else’s decisions or actions.
At the very least, regardless of political allegiance, ideology or religious beliefs, we can all be thankful that the Supreme Court recognizes that the people and their directly elected officials should be the determiners of the law in their land. And we should all be thankful that we live in a country in which we can voice our opinions and vote our consciences.
Jesse Barlow, president of State College Borough Council: I was a senior in high school when Roe was handed down in 1973; I did not think then that this progress would be reversed. For years, however, the Roe decision has hung by a thread. That decision has no doubt saved the lives of countless women. I am a strong believer in the phrase, “Roe was not the beginning of women getting abortions; it was the end of women dying from abortions.” I have read through parts of the (Justice Samuel) Alito draft and what I saw should be considered a dated view of American law and is based on a narrow view of our society. Congress must right this wrong and protect the right of pregnant people to abortion. Pennsylvania must remain a state where abortion is legal and available. Even though I have known this was coming for months, it is a shocking setback for women’s rights and for our society. It also should tell all of us that courts matter and who sits on those courts matter. We are a less free country than we were yesterday.
Bernie Cantorna, Centre County district attorney: Back when this first became probable, there were at least 64 elected prosecutors and 10 state’s attorneys who had said — if abortion was criminalized — they would not be prosecuting women who sought those services or the health care providers that provided that service.
I can state unequivocally that this office, as long as I’m the DA, would not take any steps to prosecute any woman or any health care provider providing those health care services.
I think it’s important that elected district attorneys who have the opportunity to lead offer some peace of mind to the health care professionals and women that they will not be placed in the position of having to choose between the exercise of health care choices and a threat of criminal prosecution here in Centre County.
Coalition for a Just University, Penn State faculty-based group: While not surprising, the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which has overturned the right to a safe, legal abortion in this country, is fundamentally unjust. Oppressed people, including those living in poverty, people of color, people who are disabled and queer folks, will be especially vulnerable. And while we are devastated for ourselves and all members of our community, especially our students, we are ready to take action to fight back.
The Coalition for a Just University will always stand for the human right to accessible and affordable health care, which includes abortion. We believe that individuals and their families and physicians are best positioned to make decisions about their own reproductive health. The extremist ideologues dominating our courts and legislatures intend to continue to marginalize and attack our rights and our humanity. We will not stand idly by and allow this assault to continue.
Carline Crevecoeur and Ann Echols, incoming co-presidents for AAUW State College: Without reproductive freedom, there can be NO EQUITY. AAUW State College disagrees with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. We believe everyone has the right to make decisions about their own reproductive lives without government interference. The decision can be seen as an assault on the autonomy of poor and working-class women.
AAUW State College advocates for EQUITY FOR ALL, and that includes ALL WOMEN.
David Gaines, attorney: With the federalist Supreme Court, we’re going to be focused much more on local elections, state elections and on a level that we necessarily haven’t had before. What’s interesting about that in State College, in particular, is usually the turnout for our local elections is really low because the students are almost universally focused on presidential elections. That’s common everywhere, but it’s really unique in State College.
Geisinger: We believe that terminating a pregnancy is a deeply personal decision that is best made between women and their medical team. We focus on supporting women with family planning, counseling and community services. We perform pregnancy terminations within the bounds of Pennsylvania law and will continue to do so.
Ezra Nanes, State College Borough mayor: So many people in our community, across Pennsylvania, and the United States are reckoning with the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s assault on the rights of women in their overturning of Roe v. Wade. Anger, disappointment, fear, concern, determination — Mieke and I share these feelings with you.
Women have the absolute right to reproductive health care and autonomy over their bodies. No state, nor any government has the legal, ethical or moral right to deny health care to a woman or to any person. Each person possesses the right to choose what is best for them, for their health and well-being, and this right includes the right to a safe abortion. Women already suffer from a broad lack of adequate health care for their unique reproductive life stages, including menopause. We ought to be spending our energy expanding access to health care and empowering women by respecting their voices and their needs.
As long as we have any voice or are entrusted with any power, we will use these sacred trusts to guarantee the rights of women and people of diverse genders to self-determination with the full support and protection of our society.
We will continue our work to these ends and to electing people who understand that leadership means supporting and empowering, not controlling and exploiting, others.
David E. Ostrich, rabbi of Congregation Brit Shalom: I am disappointed by the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. I shudder to think of the many women and girls whose choices about reproduction will be severely limited — and whose lives will be negatively impacted. I am particularly concerned about the ferocity of many anti-abortion advocates — and the laws that they will promote in their states. Will they prevent life-saving health care for women in the midst of dangerous pregnancies? Will they force women to bring children into the world for whom they cannot afford to care? Will these so-called “pro-life” advocates promote public funding for child care and tax credits and other truly pro-children and pro-family policies?
I am also concerned about the next steps in this legal regression. The basis of Roe v. Wade is the right of privacy — something that is not specified in the Constitution or Bill of Rights but that was assumed by the Founders and has been assumed by people of good will throughout the history of our nation. What will the forces of moral sanctimony do next? Whom will they disenfranchise? Which rights will be revoked? And, which religious beliefs of some of the population will be forced onto the lives of those with different religious beliefs?
We who believe in our God-given right of personal autonomy have our work cut out for us.
Andrew Shubin, attorney: I’m not surprised, but yet I’m aghast. It’s really the first time that a court has taken away a fundamental, constitutional, bedrock right. It’s a very scary step. Not only because it essentially takes a woman’s womb and makes it subject to government regulation and diminishes her ability to get the best health care and make the best possible decisions for her health and well-being, it also will put women at an economic disadvantage.
It also opens the door to the loss of other fundamental rights that we have really based on our lives on — the right to contraception, the right to marry and to love whoever we wish, whether we’re gay or straight. These are next. The decision was written in a way that telegraphs that’s what next. That politicians will not only control a woman’s womb, but politicians will tell us who we can love and tell us whether we can have access to contraception. All of these things are not just about love and sex; they’re also about health.
Matt Soska, president of Penn State College Republicans: Penn State College Republicans is happy to see that the Supreme Court followed the Constitution and returned abortion law back to the states.
In regards to the Penn State community nothing has changed. Abortion is still legal in Pennsylvania and everyone will have the opportunity this fall to vote for candidates whose views align with theirs on this issue and others. For our part, Penn State GOP will continue to advocate for pro-life policies and candidates.
We would like to add that we hope that everyone exercising their first amendment right to free speech does so in an appropriate and non-violent way.
Margie Swoboda, chair of Centre County Democratic Committee: The 18th Amendment, which established Prohibition, failed completely in moral governance and resulted in organized crime and corruption. Today’s disastrous Supreme Court ruling is also doomed to fail. At least 36 million women in more than 25 states virtually lost the fundamental right to make personal decisions about their own bodies.
This turns the clock back on women’s rights by nearly 50 years, a time when women had no safe medical choices but only dangerous back-alley procedures. Pregnant women and their partners and families will lose fundamental rights to life-saving health care. This will disproportionately suppress rural residents, people earning lower incomes, people of color and women of all ages.
At least six in 10 Americans believe abortion should be a legal private decision, like all health care, in most or all cases. Where does the power abuse stop? Justice Clarence Thomas also writes that the Supreme Court should reconsider rulings legalizing birth control and gay marriage. This rhetoric sets a path to dictatorship by extremists.
Our democracy and Constitution are truly in danger. Six conservative Supreme Court Justices were appointed by presidents and Congressional legislators representing a minority of American voters and subverting power for themselves. We must vote in November and every election to preserve our Democracy, the Constitution and our Human Rights.
University Park Undergraduate Association, joint statement from members of the Penn State student government: ... Across the Commonwealth of Penn State University, there are over 35,000 students with a uterus and of the reproductive age. We cannot express the sadness and fear that this decision has caused for students across the country, and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
One of the biggest missions of the University Park Undergraduate Association has been to protect students’ rights to affordable health care; the right to autonomy as an individual in their privacy, education and career path; and their right to safety. We have worked to ensure these student rights by advocating for accessible health and wellness funds, accommodating academic policies throughout the pandemic, more intersectional support and stricter punishment for Title IX violations, and more. Today, those rights have been upended federally, and are now threatened across the United States.
Presently, Pennsylvania does not have a law that automatically restricts or completely bans abortions following the Dobbs (v. Jackson Women’s Health) decision. Regardless, adequate resources and support are essential for the safety and well-being of persons with uteruses and others who are directly impacted. As an organization, the UPUA will continue to advocate for increased access to birth control, Plan B and other planning and pregnancy resources for students at University Park, in addition to continuing to educate our community. The UPUA encourages all students to peacefully participate in local, statewide and national protests.
Finally, the UPUA has compiled a list of services (outlined in this Instagram post) for immediate utilization and support during this time.
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 4:07 PM.