By Keith Whitcomb Jr.
ARGUS-TIMES
On Monday, Politico published a leaked draft of a Supreme Court majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade as well as Planned Parenthood v. Casey, prompting many politicians and entities to issue statements.
Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund said Tuesday that while the decision is only in draft form and that legal abortion is protected in Vermont, it’s still “unprecedented” and “horrifying.”
“If the Supreme Court allows states to ban abortion, we do not anticipate immediate changes to abortion laws in Vermont,” stated Lucy Leriche, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund. “But elections matter. If a majority of anti-abortion politicians take control of the Legislature, they could pass laws restricting or even banning abortion.”
She urged Vermonters to pass the Reproductive Liberty Amendment in November, which would “amend Vermont’s constitution to protect every person’s right to make their own reproductive decisions, such as whether and when to become pregnant, use temporary or permanent birth control or seek abortion care,” she stated. “At Planned Parenthood, we know that banning abortion does not take away people’s need to access abortion care. Patients who need to access to abortion should not face the shame and overwhelming hurdles that will come from this decision. And we will do everything we can to help those patients get abortion care safely.”
Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, stated that Vermont has been prepared for this possibility.
“Three years ago, we enacted a law that affirms the fundamental rights of all women and ensures reproductive health decisions remain between a woman and her health care provider — totally free from government interference,” he stated. “It is important for Vermonters to know this will remain true in Vermont regardless of what happens with the Supreme Court.”
He also noted that voters will be able to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s constitution come November by voting for Prop. 5.
“The fundamental rights and liberties of all women will be defended, protected and preserved in Vermont,” he stated.
Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who is running for Congress as a Democrat, stated “Should the Supreme Court’s opinion seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade be accurate, we are in the fight of our lives across Vermont and this country. Our work here in Vermont to enshrine reproductive liberty as a fundamental right in our Vermont Constitution through Proposition 5 also takes on even greater urgency.”
She said she’ll work to urge Vermonters to vote yes on Proposition 5 and if elected to Congress will seek to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat and the dean of the Senate, stated that he was deeply concerned and saddened by the document.
“If the reporting is correct, the Supreme Court could send us tumbling backward in time, stripping away a bedrock constitutional right that has granted women autonomy over their bodies and health for nearly five decades,” he stated. “Today’s news threatens to propel us toward the politicization of our independent judiciary, and that should alarm every American. Millions of Americans understand what this would mean. It is no wonder that protests broke out on the steps of the Supreme Court overnight, just minutes after the reports came out, dotted with signs reading ‘we’re never going back.’”
If the draft opinion is adopted by the court, then it will do irreparable damage to the trust Americans have left in the judiciary, stated Leahy.
“Overturning Roe v. Wade thus would not only endanger the enshrined rights of millions of Americans, but endanger our constitutional system of government itself,” he stated. “And who knows where this ungrounded judicial activism would end?”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent, tweeted, “Congress must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land in this country NOW. And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, and there are not, we must end the filibuster to pass it with 50 votes.”
U.S. House Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who is running to fill Leahy’s seat in the Senate, said the decision would be the “greatest infringement of freedom for women in generations.”
Welch claimed that 26 states would likely ban abortion outright under the new ruling.
“The draft opinion by the Court’s conservative majority — a majority made possible by the court-packing tactics of former President Trump and Mitch McConnell — is a cruel and brutal restriction of rights,” stated Welch. “But it is important to remember that this decision is not final, and abortion is legal today. It must remain so. We cannot allow the Supreme Court to jeopardize the health of millions of Americans.”
He called upon the Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which the House has already done.
“I am grateful to the Vermont Legislature for working to make reproductive freedom a state constitutional right,” he stated. “I support their efforts and the upcoming Prop 5 ballot initiative to make this a reality in Vermont. If you share my belief that we cannot go backward, now is the time to stand up and speak out to protect a woman’s right to choose.”
James Lyall, executive director of the ACLU of Vermont, stated, “If the Supreme Court issues a majority opinion along the lines of the leaked draft authored by Justice Alito, the dire consequences for our reproductive freedoms will be the most significant of any opinion the Court has ever issued.”
The ACLU also supports the passage of Vermont’s “Reproductive Liberty Amendment” in November.
“The right to decide if and when to become a parent is central to an individual’s dignity and well-being, and Vermonters this year will have the opportunity to protect and affirm that fundamental right for ourselves, our neighbors, and for future generations,” he stated. “No matter how this case is ultimately decided, the ACLU and our allies across the country will never stop fighting for the right of individuals to make reproductive health care decisions for themselves — including decisions about contraception, abortion, prenatal care and childbirth. We will not tolerate having this fundamental right taken away.”
keith.whitcomb @rutlandherald.com
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