Roe v. Wade overturned; WeHo issues statement

The United States Supreme Court Friday has overturned Roe v. Wade, the decision that guaranteed women’s right to have an abortion, and lawmakers from Los Angeles have responded, one saying it is dangerous and divisive.

The ruling, ending the 49-year-old decision, puts abortion policy at the discretion of states, many that have restricted and outlawed the procedure in recent months.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said the decision is a betrayal of the commitments made by recent justices during their confirmation hearings, who indicated under oath they would uphold decades of legal precedent.

“It is a repudiation of some of our nation’s most cherished values, from the right to privacy to the right of everyone to make their own health care decisions,” Schiff said in a released statement. “The fact that this opinion does not come as a surprise does not make it any less traumatic for the millions of women now stripped of their access to safe and legal abortion; it does not make it any less frightening for the millions of people now worried about whether their fundamental freedoms will be the next to fall.”

The City of West Hollywood is responding to today’s US Supreme Court decision ending constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years. The decision by the Court’s conservative majority overturns Roe v. Wade and is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of states.

According to the majority opinion by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., the Supreme Court of the United States has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade’s holding of a federal constitutional right to an abortion. The landmark US Supreme Court decision was issued in 1973 and legalized abortion in the United States.

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Each member of the West Hollywood City Council has issued a short statement:

“Although I am not surprised, I am terribly disappointed that SCOTUS would overturn a case that was decided decades ago, by its predecessors,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister. “Instead of moving forward, the Supreme Court has decided to go back to a time when women were second class citizens, without the right to make personal choices about their own healthcare, their own bodies, or their own well-being. President Biden and Congress must make the right to choose the law of the land. Otherwise, one by one, civil rights will be taken away. The City of West Hollywood must send a very clear message to Washington DC: an attack on women is an attack on LGBTQ people, is an attack on people of color, is an attack on the Jewish community, is an attack on all of us. We cannot be silent, and we will not be silenced.”  

“The City of West Hollywood stands with all of those whose lives are now in more danger than ever as a result of this ruling,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore Sepi Shyne. “This Supreme Court decision sets women’s equality and bodily autonomy back decades. The City has been and will continue to work with Los Angeles County, the State of California, and our social service providers to ensure that we continue to fight for reproductive rights and provide a safe haven for women and transgender men accessing healthcare.”

“It’s clear to me that this version of the US Supreme Court is untrustworthy, uninterested in history, and perhaps now, permanently broken. This is a strange and scary time in America,” said City of West Hollywood Councilmember John D’Amico.

“Today’s SCOTUS decision is not a surprise: our rights are (and have been) under attack,” said City of West Hollywood Councilmember John M. Erickson. “We must band together to ensure everyone in this country has the right to access a safe and legal abortion. We’ve experienced and seen great progress but we must never forget the past and now we need to be prepared for those difficult battles to come in the future. West Hollywood will always be right here fighting for what’s right.”

“Today is a painful day in American history,” said City of West Hollywood Councilmember Lindsey P. Horvath. “This Supreme Court has decided millions of people should be without reproductive healthcare access, putting our lives at risk and deepening political divisions in this country more than ever before. There is no easy way to heal the wounds of this legal assault on the women of our country. Reproductive freedom – safe, affordable, accessible, culturally-competent, gender-affirming quality healthcare including abortion – must be the law of the land and we must demand our federal representatives immediately end the filibuster and pass legislation that protects this most sacred right. This decision places an even greater burden on people who are already at risk – women, transgender people, the poor, immigrants, and people of color. It is the duty of our government to protect our most vulnerable, not to further endanger our safety. In particular, US Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have a moral obligation to stand up and fight. They claim to be pro-choice but their recent votes and resulting inaction speak otherwise. We must flood their phones, their emails, and offices demanding they honor their word and responsibility. Without a doubt, California will be a safe haven for people in need of abortions and reproductive healthcare access. Los Angeles County will be the battleground for the fight to ensure no one will ever be denied their right to privacy and their right to decide whether and when to become pregnant. As the first declared pro-choice city in America, West Hollywood will continue to be at the heart of that all-important work. Generations of women have fought tirelessly to prevent this day from ever occurring. We cannot allow this moment to be the endpoint of our liberation. Too much is at stake and too much has already been taken.” 

The City of West Hollywood was the first city in the nation, in 1993, to declare itself pro-choice. Almost three decades later, West Hollywood continues its efforts to vigorously defend women’s reproductive rights and access to healthcare. The City has continually supported state and federal legislation protecting and advancing women’s reproductive rights and access to healthcare.

The City of West Hollywood regularly monitors policies and proposals that impact West Hollywood’s residents, including women, LGBTQ residents, people with disabilities, seniors, people of color, and immigrants, among others, and the City will continue to be a champion and defender of health equity and reproductive freedom.

In May 2019, the City Council of the City of West Hollywood, unanimously approved a Resolution to denounce anti-choice legislation in Georgia and other states, such as Alabama. With approval of that Resolution, West Hollywood became the first city in the nation to enact financial sanctions and act against states that have passed extreme anti-choice legislation.

In September 2021, the City Council of the City of West Hollywood unanimously approved a Resolution denouncing the Texas law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy (SB 8), developing additional financial sanctions until such time as the new law is revoked, and declaring the City of West Hollywood a safe harbor for reproductive freedom.

For more information, please contact Hernán Molina, the City of West Hollywood’s Governmental Affairs Liaison, at (323) 848-6364 or at hmolina@weho.org For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling is being described as the most significant curtailing of an established constitutional right in court’s history.

The opinion written by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. is similar to a draft that was leaked by Politico in May.

“We hold that Roe and [the 1992 Planned Parenthood vs.] 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 14th Amendment.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined 10 mayors from across the country in issuing a joint statement on abortion rights. Robert Garcia of Long Beach, Todd Gloria of San Diego, Vicente Sarmiento of Santa Ana, Paige Cognetti of Scranton, Penn., Tishaura Jones of St. Louis, Sam Liccardo of San Jose, Lori E. Lightfoot of Chicago, Libby Schaaf of Oakland,  Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento and Satya Rhodes-Conway of Madison, Wis. signed the statement declaring their cities will continue to serve as places where women and all people can make their own reproductive decisions.

“We commit to using every tool at our disposal as mayors to stand up for women in the face of attempts to deprive them of fundamental rights — and call on our leaders in Congress and our statehouses to reverse the impacts of this decision and protect a woman’s right to choose,” according to the statement.

“Further, the draft opinion overturning Roe opens the door to the repeal of many privacy-based rights that form the basis of our society and underpin the very concept of American liberty. These freedoms, including the freedom to marry the person you love free of discrimination, are under threat with this decision. We cannot allow this egregious attack on the progress our country has made.”

The mayors’ statement recognizes that over the past 50 years, Roe and Casey have made a profound and positive impact on the lives of millions of women — particularly young and minority women — and their partners.

“Access to safe and legal abortion has saved countless lives. American women, for the first time, have been able to plan their reproductive, economic, and social lives — leading to tremendous gains in not just health and personal freedom, but equity and quality of life in our communities.

“Put simply: Reproductive rights are critical to women’s healthcare and self-determination. By denying this fundamental right to the people of the United States, the Court is not only curtailing an essential freedom to American citizens, but they are also imposing a dangerous and failed policy decision upon millions of Americans. An abortion ban will not stop women from seeking this basic health care, but rather make it illegal and less safe. We know that planned pregnancies lead to dramatically better outcomes for mothers, children, and families, and that even the widespread use of contraceptives cannot fully eliminate unintended pregnancies. Nothing less than women’s health, safety, and futures are at stake — and we must protect their right to control their own bodies and lives.”

State Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys said, “The Supreme Court is criminalizing women.”

“The majority’s theological bent wants to keep women barefoot and pregnant and is a throwback to when women were property and knew their place. That past is our future if Americans don’t wake up and vote,” he said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the ruling is “devastating.”

“I never imagined we would be a country where my granddaughters would have fewer rights than I did depending on where they live,” Hahn said. “This ruling will not end abortion — even for women living in red states. We must ensure that California and pro-choice states across the country continue to be a haven for reproductive rights.”

Schiff said the Supreme Court’s decision did not happen in a vacuum and has been in the works for years.

“After waging an all-out assault against abortion access for decades, after committing shocking acts of constitutional disrespect by withholding the confirmation of a justice nominated by a Democratic president and jamming through a Republican nominee during an election campaign, after conspiring with state legislators across the country to put forth some of the most draconian criminal penalties imaginable, Republicans are now one step closer to their ultimate goal: a nationwide ban on abortion,” Schiff said.

“Make no mistake, this court is not conservative — it is partisan, with a partisan and socially backward agenda.”

The opinion was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. concurred, but did not join the majority opinion. He said he would have upheld a Mississippi 15-week ban on abortion, but would have not overturned Roe v. Wade.

“The court’s decision to overrule Roe and Casey is a serious jolt to the legal system,” Roberts wrote.

Justice Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented.

“Today, the court … says that from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of,” their dissent read. “A state can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs.”

Schiff said, “We have come too far and fought too hard to enshrine the right to choose for Republicans to roll back the clock. We must bring an end to this national nightmare, and make sure the American people know that Democrats have always been and will always be the party fighting for women*s fundamental rights. We must codify Roe, and ensure women control their health care decisions for generations to come.”