Berkeley Mayor Blasts Roe Reversal

BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley’s top elected official on Friday blasted the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down a landmark ruling that for nearly a half a century provided federal protections for women's reproductive rights.

Mayor Jesse Arreguín’s statement Friday followed the court's 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a repudiation of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and a subsequent case on fetal viability, Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Justice Samuel Alito Jr.'s majority opinion draft was leaked to Politico last month, setting the stage for a seismic shift in abortion rights.

The court's three liberal justices — Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — dissented in what was the most anticipated decision of the court's current term after the leaked opinion draft. They criticized what they call the majority's "cavalier approach to overturning this Court's precedents."

“It’s a dark day in America,” Arreguín tweeted.

“A conservative court just overturned the constitutional right to abortion, threatening the safety of women everywhere. We will not be silent and here in California we will continue to fight for and protect the right to reproductive healthcare.”