ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Supporters of abortion rights are reacting to news of a leaked United States Supreme Court draft opinion obtained and published by POLITICO stating the court would overturn Roe v. Wade. It would give control to individual states.

This is, of course, a blow to those who’ve been fighting for abortion rights for decades.


What You Need To Know

  •  Supporters of abortion rights are reacting to news of a leaked United States Supreme Court draft opinion – stating the court would overturn Roe v. Wade

  • Leading the charge is the Nation Organization for Women

  • Protests are already underway, with abortion-rights activists mobilizing and organizing in an effort to aggressively fight the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Leading the charge is the Nation Organization for Women.

"Every single fundamental freedom that women have gained has come from the ability to control when, and if, we have families and how we have families," NOW’s Rochester Chapter president, Sarah Timmerman, said. "And so to take that away is to take away all gains we have made in all aspects of society so I’m very worried and I’m very angry and I think the feeling is anger, frustration, as well as wishing that people heeded our calls for the last decade or so."

"NOW members are outraged, energized, and ready to fight back," National NOW President Christian Nunes said in a statement. "The Supreme Court’s decision will jeopardize women’s lives – particularly the lives of young Black, Latinas, Indigenous and economically insecure women who are most at risk. Now it’s up to us to vote for women’s lives."

"All of this is going to move underground," Timmerman said of her fear if it is overturned. "And all that means is that people are going to die. It’s going to be fighting like hell for people in states that are not favorable to them that do not think that they should control their own body, that think they should be forced to carry a pregnancy to term. It’s fighting like hell to get them the care that they need because they’re still going to get abortions whether it’s legal or not. We want them to get the safest abortion possible."

Protests are already underway, with abortion-rights activists mobilizing and organizing in an effort to aggressively fight the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

While this is just a leaked draft and not a done deal, NOW leaders say the incident confirms that their worst fears are coming to pass.