NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York Attorney General Letitia James spoke at a protest in Lower Manhattan's Foley Square Monday after the leak of a Supreme Court draft signaling the court is poised to reverse abortion rights in the United States.
"There's nothing that can be defeated in this nation if women stand together, shoulder to shoulder, arm and arm," James said at the rally.
The attorney general joined "hundreds of advocacy groups, elected officials, and concerned New Yorkers at a rally in support of abortions rights in this nation."
"I came to this issue in a very personal way," James shared at the rally. "I was in this place. I was just elected and I was faced with the decision whether to have an abortion or not. And I chose to have an abortion. I walked proudly into Planned Parenthood and I make no apologies to anyone."
Along with sharing her personal experience with abortion, James announced that the state will establish a fund to cover the costs for people who come to New York for an abortion.
"Because New York will always provide access to anyone, a place where people are free," James said.
Another rally is planned for 7 p.m. outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The protests come hours after Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.
He ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”
In the high court's first public comment since the draft was published late Monday, Roberts said, “Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”
In a statement, he said, “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed.”
A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states and could have huge ramifications for this year's elections.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.
The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES .
Related
Related
Related
