Courts Abortion Ruling Stirs Fierce Controversy In Essex County – Montclair, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision on Friday, setting off a firestorm of controversy across the nation, including Essex County.

Abortion rights activists have been anxiously awaiting the court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Mississippi case that essentially dismantles both Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling legalizing abortion, and Casey v. Planned Parenthood, a fetal viability case that affirmed Roe.

Now that the court has overturned the decisions, it will be up to states to decide the future of abortion within their own borders. Read More: Roe V. Wade Overturned: How Abortion Bans Will Impact New Jersey

In New Jersey, abortion access is protected by state law via the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, which Gov. Phil Murphy signed earlier this year.

But that hasn’t stopped local advocates from making preparations all week – just in case Roe v. Wade was overturned.

In Essex County, activists planned to hold an abortion rights rally on Friday at 6 p.m. at Spiotta Park in South Orange. Participating organizations include SOMA Action, THRIVE NJ, Planned Parenthood NJ, BlueWaveNJ and Our Revolution – Essex County NJ. Read More: Activists Will Rally In South Orange After SCOTUS Abortion Decision

Meanwhile, two Congress members who represent towns in the county blasted the decision on Friday.

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who represents the 11th District, condemned what she called a “ring-wing activist” Supreme Court ruling.

“This decision is not conservative, it is radical,” the congresswoman said. “The freedom of women to control their bodies should not hinge on a state line.” Read More: Rep. Mikie Sherrill Blasts ‘Right-Wing’ Supreme Court Abortion Ruling

In the state’s 10th District, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. also condemned the ruling.

“This is a tragic day in America,” Payne said. “Today, the Supreme Court has decided that women do not have the right to determine their reproductive health care choices and that state legislatures should have control over women’s bodies. Clearly, Supreme Court decisions are no longer based on the Constitution nor on legal precedent. Instead, this is another horrible example of a court that represents the radical right-wing agenda of the modern Republican Party.”

Payne said the Senate needs to follow the House’s lead and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, a demand Sherrill that has also made.

In the U.S. Senate, Cory Booker – a Newark resident and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee – said the court’s ruling “stripped Americans of one of their most fundamental freedoms”: the right to decide what happens to their own body.

“Today’s decision must also be the beginning of a new fight,” Booker insisted. “The lives of countless people are now endangered. It is now up to us to deliver on efforts to protect Americans’ most basic and fundamental rights.”

Other Democratic leaders in the state Legislature also blasted Friday’s court ruling.

New Jersey Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, a sponsor of the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, said “the day we have awaited with dread has arrived.”

“We have earned this right and we will not let it be taken from us,” added Jasey, who represents the state’s 27th District.

Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz said “there are no words that can capture the profound depth of sadness, disappointment and betrayal that women throughout our country feel today.”

“We cannot and will not go back on a woman’s right to choose, and we remain deeply concerned with how this ruling may signal the further erosion of rights related to access to contraceptives and gay marriage,” urged Ruiz, who represents the 29th District.

NJ CARDINAL: ‘ALL HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED’

There has also been support for the court’s decision in Essex County.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, leader of the Archdiocese of Newark – which serves nearly 1.3 million Catholic residents in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties – released a statement about the Supreme Court ruling on Friday.

Tobin wrote:

“The United States Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide recognizes that even the most helpless and dependent human beings have a right to life and possess inherent dignity and worth. The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred, from conception to natural death. We must oppose the many threats to human life and dignity evident in contemporary society, including abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and capital punishment. Abortion represents a failure to recognize the sanctity of human life and promotes a culture in which human life in its most vulnerable moment is perceived as disposable. It is telling that in the public debate, the unborn child frequently disappears from the moral calculus. Furthermore, abortion is not health care. It is a disastrous attempt to create a false equivalency between the taking of innocent human life and the ‘reproductive health’ of women in our society. It results in inhuman and lethal consequences.”

Tobin continued:

“We recognize that a woman’s decision to have an abortion is often tragic and painful. A woman who takes this desperate action is often under great duress and is encouraged by social structures that are patently sinful. As people who care deeply for all women struggling with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies, we must ensure that life-giving options are available and our support does not end simply with the birth of a child.”

“We recognize that a significant number of our fellow citizens are angered by this decision of our nation’s highest court,” Tobin added. “We hope that all Americans can discuss respectfully how best to support women who face crucial decisions while recognizing the dignity of the most vulnerable among us.”

SEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Meanwhile, other social justice groups and community nonprofits in Essex County have continued to speak out against Friday’s ruling. Seen online:

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.