North Bay Rep. Blasts ‘Gut Punch’ Roe Ruling

NORTH BAY, CA — Not surprising, but shocking.

That’s how U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) described his reaction to the leaked draft of a majority opinion overturning Roe. v. Wade — since confirmed by Chief Justice John Roberts.

The congressman who represents Marin County and a large swath of Sonoma County — including Petaluma, Windsor and Healdsburg — issued a statement Tuesday calling the reversal of women’s reproductive rights that have stood nearly a half century a “gut punch.”

The leaked draft, first reported by Politico, is described by the outlet as “a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision — Planned Parenthood v. Casey — that largely maintained the right."

Alito wrote, "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start."

The court's ruling isn't expected until June or July, and the precise wording could change, Politico reports.

A vote to overturn Roe would send abortion access back to the states to decide. At least 26 are certain or likely to ban abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights policy group.

“We knew this Supreme Court was going to overturn Roe v. Wade, but today's news still feels like a gut punch,” Huffman said.

“For millions of women in states that do not value women's rights, especially poor and disadvantaged women, this will have terrible and even deadly consequences. This dreadful decision must not be allowed to stand.”

The court’s ruling adds urgency to a bill that passed the House that would codify Roe of which Huffman is a co-sponsor, he said.

"There is no sugar coating how dreadful this Supreme Court decision will be, and how it will hurt millions of women. But we are not powerless to stop it,” Huffman said.

“Let this be a call to action.”

— Patch Editor Beth Dalby contributed to this report