NC Reacts to Stunning Roe v. Wade News

Now, more than ever, governors and state legislatures must stand up for women’s healthcare.

Cheri Beasley
Cheri Beasley
By Cash Michaels –

North Carolinians, like the rest of the country, were stunned by the unprecedented revelation by Politico that a majority of the conservative-led US Supreme Court has voted to overturn the controversial 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that gave American women the right to a legal abortion.

Politico’s reporting was based, it said, on a leaked draft of a majority opinion written in February by conservative Associate Justice Samuel Alito. Observers say it is not a final opinion, but given the high court’s 6-3 conservative majority, it is seen as indicative of the final ruling.

NC political figures, like Democratic US Senate candidate Cheri Beasley, immediately reacted to the report.

“If confirmed, this decision is the moment we have feared, and fought against. It is terrifying for women across the country,” Beasley, a former chief justice of the NC Supreme Court, said in a statement.

Calling abortion “a constitutional right,” Beasley continued, “This horrifying news—and Washington’s failure to eliminate the filibuster and codify Roe v. Wade to protect our rights—has shown us exactly what is at stake, and it is more urgent than ever that we elect leaders who will stand up for our fundamental freedoms in the US Senate.”

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper let it be known on Twitter that “Now, more than ever, governors and state legislatures must stand up for women’s healthcare. We know the stakes and must stand firm to protect a woman’s choice and access to medical care.”

Planned Parenthood of South Atlantic NC made it clear that until that Supreme Court draft opinion is published (expected sometime in late June or early July), abortion remains legal in all fifty states.

“We have reached a crisis moment for abortion access,” PPSANC said.

The North Carolina Justice Center said, in part, “The damage to the nation, the Court, and the Constitution [that] this draft opinion portends is so severe and potentially irreparable that we can only hope reconsideration at the Court occurs in the next several months. No opinion is worth the destructive effects this opinion would usher forth.”

Democrats, by and large, see this news as jumpstarting their November midterm election chances to attract angry women voters to the polls. Pres. Biden vowed to codify Roe v. Wade, asking voters to make sure they elect pro-choice Democrats to do so.

Former Congressman Mark Walker, a Republican candidate for the US Senate tweeted, “Keep praying and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

And embattled North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn, who currently represents the 11th District, which includes Asheville, proudly took to Twitter to say “Because of Donald J. Trump, Roe v. Wade will be overturned.