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Queens Officials React to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade

My body my choice sign at a Stop Abortion Bans Rally (Photo: Lorie Shaull/wiki)

June 24, 2022 By Christian Murray

Elected officials in Queens have been quick to condemn the U.S. Supreme Court for its ruling Friday that strikes down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, has now put the issue of abortion rights in the hands of state legislatures as opposed to courts.

While abortion rights are protected in New York by state law—and the ruling will have little local effect—Queens leaders viewed the decision as a step backward for the nation, noting that in many states women would be denied access.

The ruling comes one day after the nation’s top court overturned a century-old New York law that placed heavy restrictions on residents from carrying concealed handguns. The ruling, its critics argue, is likely to lead to an increase in gun violence that is already a problem.

“In just two short days, SCOTUS has issued two rulings that actively challenge our ability to keep ourselves safe. Our safety – our personal health decisions, our ability to stay safe from gun violence- cannot be left to a politicized court. We’re going to mourn, and then fight,” tweeted State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and adjacent areas.

State Sen. Mike Gianaris, who represents western Queens, also weighed in.

“Another day, another terrible and wrongly decided decision from the Supreme Court. This decision attacks what has been a fundamental right for Americans for the last half-century and profoundly reverses so much progress that has been made for health and economic equity,” Gianaris said in a statement.

Council Member Shekar Krishnan, who represents Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, posted a concise comment on twitter about the ruling. “This is devastating.”

Residents are also beginning to protest the decisions, with a rally planned in Sunnyside—at Queens Boulevard and 46th Street– Friday at 7 p.m.

A rally is being held in Sunnyside tonight to protest the latest SCOTUS rulings

The court’s ruling today pertaining to abortion was written by Justice Samuel Alito, who said the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling was not based on the text of the constitution. He wrote for the majority, which included Chief Justice John Roberts along with Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito wrote. “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.”

“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” Alito wrote.

The ruling is expected to lead to strict abortion limits in 26 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights advocacy research group.

The restrictions would primarily be in the South and Midwest, where state legislatures are more conservative.

However, in left-leaning states, such as New York and California, it would have little impact for its residents.

The conservative-leaning states, which are in orange, are expected to place significant restrictions on abortion

Liberal justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan wrote the dissent.

“The majority would allow States to ban abortion from conception onward because it does not think forced childbirth at all implicates a woman’s rights to equality and freedom,” they wrote.

“Today’s Court, that is, does not think there is anything of constitutional significance attached to a woman’s control of her body and the path of her life,” they wrote. “A State can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs.”

Queens legislators were in agreement with the dissenting justices.

Councilmember Lynn Schulman, who represents Forest Hills, Rego Park and nearby areas, said that the abortion issue has had a direct impact on her family.

“My great grandmother died trying to give herself an abortion, & now many more women will suffer the same fate. Being apart of the first women-led NYC city council, I will fight like hell for Reproductive Justice.”

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz was also critical of the decision.

“A mere day after SCOTUS decided to put the lives of New Yorkers at risk by striking down our long-standing restrictions on guns, the majority of Supreme Court Justices have now decided to put the lives of millions of women across the entire nation at risk by overturning Roe v. Wade. This decision is beyond frustrating, and moreover, reckless.”

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50 Comments

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Does admin have guts to publish?

Roe V. Wade turnover is just another example of a country who embraces lies. A country that never really outlawed slavery and fraudulently allows citizens to obtain weapons of war to massacre it’s children. The following two amendments are total BS, just read for yourself:
AMENDMENT II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
AMENDMENT XIII – Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865
Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

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nope

Total non sense. Roe v Wade was a BAD decision and the court corrected it as they have done hundreds of times in their history. Right to bear arms IS an individual right and needed now more then ever in the wake of the progressive damage and defund movement that embraces lawlessness. Slavery ended over 150 years ago, not in 2020 as some think, and racial problems will only end when some stop using race as a excuse for their dysfunctional behaviors or leverage for their agendas (ie.never). Oh we embrace lots of lies and your post is another example of that.

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The letter of the law

Nope, you’re wrong- People have the right to bear arms in a militia,” A well regulated Militia”. Nothing about an individual. Slavery is still a legal and viable option,” Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime”. Notice the conjunction, “except”
Kindly, keep to the content of my post which is not my words and certainly not a lie.

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Matalalock Sterling

People have right to “bear arms” through a perversion of the second amendment.

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“ But if thought corrupts language, language could also corrupt thought”

@nope- “War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.” Keep up the good work. The cult loves you. The cult will ultimately turn on you and yours, that is its nature. Enjoy Trump 2024 !

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Taxation begins at conception

So pregnant mothers can claim the fetus as a dependent? It’s no different than a child after all?

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Abortions will stop, right?

All the teenagers that don’t have access to healthcare anymore? They’ll be desperate for kids they’ll be having instead of going to CVS and getting a pill.

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Health care costs are going up

Now the blue states will need to cover the healthcare costs of women from the orange states

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Time to pay for the orange states

So women will come to blue states for legal abortions and plan B pills instead of risking life in jail. So much for our healthcare system, thanks Republicans!

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Pregnant moms shouldn't get a tax credit?

Everyone is entitled to a child tax credit (CTC) for each dependent child. If fetuses are the same as children, why shouldn’t pregnant mothers get a tax credit?

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Zeke

I suppose you mean, the imaginary friend in the sky of the religious.

Thing is, not everyone believes in that hocus-pocus.

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Paula

Republicans just lost the midterms and the future of any right-wing politics in the country with this move that angered the youngest voters in the country! Also is a great distraction from rising inflation, gas prices and crime.

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Jim

Now NYS will be spending money to give women from other states who’ve banned it free abortions! The spending by the progressive democrats in this state never ends. Illegal aliens, football stadiums and abortions for out of state women along with unbelievable benefits for municipal workers and never ending benefits for poor people.

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Paula

Visiting nyc is a dream for many. Offer them housing and benefits and many will stay.

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Kevin

A legal right to Abortion is codified in NY. We can function as legal, and safe, sanctuary states for women who need this procedure. Our state legislatures can also pass laws that create travel vouchers for women who don’t have the funds to travel, but need the procedure. We still have options to be of aid to women who need it.

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Anon

Maybe not for long. Justice Thomas wants to go after contraceptives. Even condoms?! He wants to go after same sex marriage. But conveniently ignores mixed marriage protection because his wife is white. Another federal gay judge attacked Thomas for this. He and his extreme conservative Justice coalition apparently don’t respect separation of religion and state with the latest decision over public prayers.

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Maria

The Supreme Court turned it over to the states to decide. So the people still get to decide upon abortion, but at the state level. The confusing part is that lot of people are reacting as if it’s 100% illegal throughout US.

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smh

Gia – The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides a fundamental “right to privacy” that protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to abort her fetus. This right is not absolute, and has to be balanced against the government’s interest in protecting women’s health and protecting prenatal life. Texas’s statutes making it a crime to procure an abortion violated this right.

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wrong

substantive due process under the 14th amendment requires “a long standing and deep rooted history and tradition” of the behavior in question as a litmus test to be considered a constitutional right…institutional abortion does not pass that test…Roe v Wade was a bogus ruling by partisan activist judges which has now been corrected by justices who actually followed and upheld the constitution…Thank you President Trump…see ya in 2024!!

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Who marries deprogrammed cult member

@Wrong – The activist judges are the three appointed by the career criminal Donald J Trump, Justice Alito and Justice Thomas. Supreme Court Justices never just go back or went back and reverse precedent because they personally opposed or oppose the ruling. The court’s legitimacy comes from being above politics and personal religious beliefs. The court’s legitimacy is compromised with this decision according to non partisan legal groups. Justice Thomas has been so embolden he has publicly stated he will be using (abusing) his position to target gay people. Donald Trumps legacy will be the undermining of the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.(what do you expect from a draft dodging convicted con artist ?).

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Trump destroyed the legitimacy of the court

Wrong – Numbers 5:11:31 describes a procedure, “tradition” known as the “jealousy offering”, a husband could use to determine if his wife had been unfaithful to him. “a long standing and deep rooted history and tradition” . It’s in the Bible. Sounds like the “partisan activist judges” are the ones who targeted and overrun Roe V Wade.

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Anonymous

Roe v. Wade was a bullshit decision based on a bullshit argument. Even RBG admitted as much. Pass laws state by state or a constitutional amendment to make abortion legal in all states. I will no longer vote for any candidate that doesn’t support legal abortion, however I still understand that SCOTUS made the right call.

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Hypocrisy at its best

Lol! The picture shows a women holding a sign that say ” my body my choice” unless it is a covid shot then the government is in charge.

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Gia

Hypocrisy – You’re wrong, no law said every citizen had to get a shot. You are misinformed

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Hypocrisy at its best

Gia- Of course not learn to read between the lines. If a person cant enter a restaurant, bar, theater, stadium and will lose their job if they dont get the jab they are essentially being force vaccine by the government. How quickly you forget but what else should we except from the know it alls.
I bet you were ring that bell every evening shouting thank you to all the health care worker, but the first a year later to condemn those same first responders that didnt want the shot.

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From Russia with love

Hypocrisy- Do yourself, friends and family a favor and stop worshiping at the altar of idiocy at Fox News.,

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The children bless there little hearts

Gia- never said there was a law. You are no constitutional law professor.

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SMH

Can anyone explain the purpose of protests in NYC and Los Angeles? These are two cities where abortion on demand will probably be available forever…so basically the majority there and here are in agreement. How brave to protest amongst the like minded. If you really want to make a difference, get your rear ends down to , for instance – States like Alabama or Louisiana…where it would be more meaningful…but that would take more risk and effort

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David

SMH – It’s called a show of support and solidarity. Like your posted comments and Fox Propaganda.

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Smh

Not me sweetheart. You and your liberal buddies don’t understand that anyone whether democrat or Republican with common sense have the same reaction to idiotic stories like this… smh

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Bible is fine with abortion

Will “ the jealousy offering” in the Bible (Numbers 5:11:31) be permitted in the states that restrict or outlaw abortion?

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Should the gov control women's bodies???

Great, so I can’t have an abortion in the bike lane anymore?

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say what! look it up

Planned Parenthood was founded by a women named Margret Sanger. Please do a bit of research and learn what she believed in. Anyway there use to be buildings named after her and she was put on a pedestal then people learned the truth about her. There is video of her evilness.

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Say no to forced breeding

Margret Sanger saved millions of lives. In Margret Sangers day there were an estimated 1 million throw away kids living in the steeets of New York, Philadelphia and Boston. There were tens of thousands of kids in orphanages being physically, psychologically and sexually abused. The number of women dying in child birth was astronomical. These horrible social ills are almost unheard of today thanks to her devotion and hard work. Now Fox News and the right winger manipulators are trying to undermine her work and memory. Almost all people back in her era held some type of racist view, that’s a historical fact.

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SAD This nation is going Backwards

The Court was Stacked and now the minority is ruling the majority. Judge Thomas needs to go, He is a disgrace and hypocrite. He now is going to attack same sex laws, then he needs to attack laws allowing inter=racial marriage. How would he like it if he couldn’t be married to a white women. Are S.court is now stacked with EVIL judges.

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Truth

It IS a woman’s choice… at the same time woman can kill a baby. It’s really a moral issue on what a woman does with her body. Being a mother is devine and should be honored.

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Every Sperm cell is sacred

Truth – A zygote is not a baby, a diploid cell resulting from the fusion of two haploid gametes; a fertilized ovum. Spare us the superstitious religious myths.

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Republicans believe in myths fairytales and conspiracy theories

Forced breeding is back.

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Anonymous

Maybe the libs can compromise on abortion the way the conservatives have recently compromised on gun control, say a nationwide ban on abortions past 15 weeks in return for universal legality throughout all 50 states. After all, if you cannot decide what do to after almost 4 months then maybe infanticide isn’t the right choice for you.

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Zeke

Quite the opposite: Maybe raising a child ain’t right for you if you’re having doubts.

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AOC not for me!

No it’s not. Fed government just said we don’t have a say on your abortion. It’s up to your state.

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Whatever

I thought I heard some early 4th of July fireworks today. That was just liberal heads exploding apparently.

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