'A Devastating Day': NYers React, Organize Amid Roe V. Wade Ruling

NEW YORK, NY — Rallying cries and words of outrage were quick to ignite in New York City on Friday as word spread of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — a ruling that will almost certainly turn the state into a safe haven for reproductive care.

“There is nothing to call this Supreme Court opinion but an affront to basic human rights and one that aims to shackle women and others in reproductive bondage," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “Reproductive care is health care, but, put simply, this decision puts lives at risk."

Adams and other lawmakers vowed to protect abortion rights for both New Yorkers and those who undoubtedly will travel to the pro-choice state — as thousands of women did before Roe was decided in 1973.

New York — unlike most states in the nation — is certain to keep its abortion protections in place despite Friday's ruling. The state codified the right to abortion in 2019, when it also repealed a ban on abortions after 24 weeks.

"Make no mistake: We will not go back to the inhumane and restrictive pre-Roe era," New York Attorney General Letitia James said. "Regardless of the situation at the national level, New York will always be a safe haven for anyone seeking an abortion. I will work tirelessly to ensure that low-income New Yorkers and people from hostile states have access to the care they need and deserve."

The Supreme Court decision, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, was released more than a month after a draft of the opinion leaked in early May. The Court's three liberal justices dissented.

The ruling will have an immediate impact on abortion rights in 13 states, largely in the south and west, that have laws in place to ban abortion as soon as Roe is overturned.

At least 26 states are certain or likely to make it nearly impossible for a woman to get a procedure that was legal for her mother, grandmother or even great-grandmother, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research and policy group.

"Today is a devastating day for all Americans," said U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. "Not only is this ruling an insult to women everywhere, but it is an affront to the 6 in 10 Americans who support women’s reproductive freedom."

In New York City, organizers were quick to put together rally plans, much as they did in the wake of the draft opinion leak in May.

Rallies were held in Washington Square Park and Union Square on Friday and organizers were also preparing for a Tompkins Square Park rally in the coming weeks.

Over the weekend, New York City Pride organizers promised to rally against the decision in already-scheduled marches slated for Pride Month.

"As millions gather for LGBTQIA+ Pride this weekend in New York City and cities across the country, our voices will be heard — for the LGBTQ people impacted and the millions with whom we stand in solidarity," organizers said. "Pride was born of protest and will always be a space to fight injustice and discrimination."