Long Island officials rallied for women’s rights in Mineola after the leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion revealed five justices were considering overturning abortion protections provided by the landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade 50 years ago.
The draft opinion, released by Politico May 2 and written by Justice Samuel Alito, said Roe v. Wade “was egregiously wrong from the start.”
“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” Alito continued.
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the leak last week.
State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) said the draft ruling underscored the importance of New York legislators approving the Reproductive Health Act in 2019 despite the objections of opponents who said “that we didn’t need to bother” and that “Roe v. Wade was the law of the land.”
Kaplan’s office organized the “We’re Not Going Back” rally for reproductive rights Saturday outside the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola that drew a number of Long Island officials and hundreds of protestors.
“We refuse to be silent while our right to access reproductive healthcare services is stolen from us,” Kaplan said. “We refuse to be sent back to a time when women routinely died in back alleys because no doctor could provide them the care they needed. We’re going to do everything in our power to protect women’s rights here in New York and we’re going to loudly and proudly fight back against the extremists who are trying to take away our freedoms.”
The first draft was written after a consensus was reached on a Mississippi case by Alito, Justice Clarence Thomas and three of former President Donald Trump’s nominees to the court, Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch. The justices often draw up many drafts before the court reaches a final decision on a case.
Nassau County Legislator Arnold Drucker (D-Plainview) said over the weekend repealing the monumental decision would amount to attacks on other civil rights.
“Beyond abortion, repealing Roe would tee up an all-out assault on marriage equality, contraception, LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-discrimination rulings that have been instrumental in making our society more equal and just,” Drucker said. “History has shown that outlawing abortion will not end abortion. It will merely drive it out of medical facilities and back into the shadows of our society.
“The consequences will be catastrophic. The stakes have never been higher. As we speak, the reproductive rights of American women are in greater peril than they have been at any point in the last 50 years. Now is the time to send a message to the regressive forces in our nation who are hell-bent on turning back the hands of time.”
Also present at the rally were U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Attorney General Letitia James, state Sen. Jim Gaughran, Nassau Legislator Siela Bynoe, state Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti and North Hempstead Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte, among others.