Local officials, activists say women's rights, health threatened after SCOTUS decision
Jun. 27—Almost as quickly as the news arrived Friday morning on the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade, so too did pledges from local political leaders on what they intend to do about it.
"Abortion is safe and legal here in Massachusetts, thanks to the 2020 action by the Legislature to codify Roe in Massachusetts state law, which was done in anticipation of today's decision," said a joint statement released by state Reps. Jamie Belsito, Sally Kerans, Paul Tucker, Tom Walsh, and state Sen. Joan Lovely. "We will continue to ensure the rights of women to access health care. Our House and Senate leadership are working together to make access available to everyone and to protect doctors."
That's because many now expect that women needing to terminate pregnancies will begin traveling to states that do not outlaw abortion, as will investigators trying to enforce the local laws in place back home.
"The focus has to be on protecting providers, not cooperating with investigations by law enforcement in states where women live who will come here to seek care," said Kerans, of Danvers. "We don't want to be part of... all of that. We'll be here to take care of people."
Turning back the clock
Many responding to the news Friday characterized it as a reversal not just in rights, but also time.
"Let's just go back to 1973, where abortions were done in back rooms by non-medical personnel," said Lovely, who represents the 2nd Essex District and lives in Salem. "Not every woman is going to be able to get into a car or plane and get to another state that's protecting these rights. It's just disgusting."
Kerans, representing the 13th Essex seat in the state House, said she's been active on what she described as "a woman's right to choose for herself," and has been "since I was in my 20s."
"I'm now in my 60s," she said. "I'm encouraged to see Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Equity Now in Massachusetts. The entire community of women and pro-choice activists, millions of people will come together to take care of women. But to have to do it against the onslaught by a majority of a very conservative court is distressing."
Belsito, representing the 4th Essex District, including Manchester, from her home in Topsfield, said she was born in 1973, the year Roe v. Wade became the legal precedent across the country on abortion access.
"It's just shocking to think that something that seems as commonplace as access to health care actually was overturned," she said. "I'm very concerned about the continued influence of the religious right and the decisions that are being made in this country."
Officials concerned about next steps
Kerans said she expects a change in language to come of the decision: "The term we're going to start hearing is 'forced pregnancy,'" she said. "It's truly obscene."
Others, like Salem City Councilor Caroline Watson-Felt, said a dismantling of abortion rights will encourage a focus on other rights as well. She said that's especially the case for members of the LGBTQA+ community, of which Watson-Felt is the only publicly "out" member of the council.
"The legal validity of my own marriage and the right to safe contraception will be next," Watson-Felt said. "The vote to repeal Roe v. Wade will lead to increased death and dangers to millions of Americans with uteruses — predominantly those who are low-income — and we'll see the ripple effects touch aspects beyond the act of abortion.
"The freedoms and safety of Americans were thrown away this week, by a small select few conservatives, in the face of the counted opinions of a public majority," Watson-Felt continued. "Elections matter; we were set back 50 years today, but there are actions that can be taken to rectify and right this wrong, though it may take years."
That fight, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said, must continue.
"There's no right more fundamental or more inalienable than the right to control your own body. Today, millions of Americans are less safe and less free to exercise that right because of this decision," Driscoll said. "I'm grateful that the Legislature stepped up to pass the ROE Act to ensure abortion rights will be protected and accessible in Massachusetts, but the the fight for reproductive rights must continue — now more than ever."
Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.
Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.
