'Racist And Sexist:' Queens Leaders React To Roe V. Wade Ruling

QUEENS, NY — The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade Friday, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion, was met with rallying cries and words of outrage across Queens, as New Yorkers vowed to protect abortion rights for those in and out of the state while lawmakers in about half of the country prepared to all but ban the procedure.

The decision, which was released more than a month after a draft opinion leaked, was based on a 6-3 ruling on a Mississippi abortion ban case, in which the Court also struck down Roe in a 5-4 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the majority, but wrote a concurring opinion that said overturning the landmark statute went too far. The court's three liberal members dissented.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said the decision — which advocates say will disproportionately impact people of color — was a "racist and sexist step" by the Court, and urged Queens residents to "demand with a deafening roar that the protections provided through Roe v. Wade for 49 years be immediately codified into federal law, no matter what."

Citywide organizers quickly put together rally plans Friday night, immediately following a protest already planned over the Court's decision this week to strike down a state law limiting people from carrying concealed handguns.

Many advocates and progressives, including in Queens, who said they see both of these decisions as related to the Court's shortcomings, called on lawmakers to expand the Court before more rights are infringed upon. (In his concurring opinion on Roe, Justice Clarance Thomas argued the Court "should reconsider" rulings on contraception access, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage.)

New York, though, is certain to keep its abortion rights in place. The state codified the right to abortion in 2019, when it also repealed a ban on abortions after 24 weeks (efforts to add abortion rights to the state constitution have not yet succeeded, however.)

The biggest local impact of the Court's decision may be to turn New York into a "safe haven" for people seeking abortions — much as it was before Roe was decided in 1973, when thousands of women flocked here to get abortions.

Despite their anger, many leaders in Queens celebrated this possibility.

"I’m pleased that my home state of New York has enacted protections for those in need of reproductive care and I call on other states to follow suit," said U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, urging New Yorkers to continue to fight for reproductive rights.

District Attorney Melinda Katz echoed a similar sentiment: "I take some solace in the fact that New York State has and will remain a safe haven for women in need of essential reproductive care."

Traveling for an abortion, though, is an increasingly costly endeavor hitting lower income people of color the hardest, Fortune reported, prompting calls from leaders in Queens to support abortion funds.

"New York is a legal abortion state, but people will need help getting here," tweeted U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez along with a link to abortion funds. "Now is the time to organize."