Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A draft opinion leaked earlier this week by Politico suggesting the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case has caused quite a stir across the nation.
The initial decision several years ago granted women the right to an abortion, but overruling Roe v. Wade would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.
The opinion was drafted by Justice Samuel Alito back in February, and was verified as an authentic first draft by Chief Justice John G. Roberts on Tuesday. This marks the first time the Supreme Court had a case draft such as this leak to the public while it was still pending.
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"Well, obviously, I'm very concerned about the leak of the memo," said Congressman Tom Reed on Wednesday during his weekly conference call with the media. "That is a threat to one of our institutions - the Supreme Court - that cannot be ignored, and that needs to be addressed and to be recognized."
"The leak is troubling, because it calls into the question the integrity of the institution," added Congressman Brian Higgins during an event in Buffalo on Wednesday. "One of the things that we're dealing with here, democracy is hard work. You can't take these institutions of democracy for granted, and the Supreme Court has not been traditionally a political body. It's an interpreter of the laws, the intent of Congress, and I think this is cause for concern."
While the issue of abortion and the decision of Roe v. Wade has been an ongoing source of controversy for several years, this latest leak will now only heighten the matter even more.
There are many who believe that a leak like this could have unintended consequences. The more people start to learn about this leak, the more the consequences may cost.
One of those consequences may just be how political the Supreme Court has become, and the difference of opinions between the justices on the bench.
"If you look at the long tradition of the Supreme Court, it has been very careful to stay out of politics, but I think recently there's more of an indication that the Court is becoming more political. I think it's losing its integrity, as it relates to the American people," Congressman Higgins said.
Despite the potential for politics to have too much of an effect on decisions made by the Supreme Court, Congressman Reed feels each justice has a duty to fulfill on the bench, and will do so to the best of their abilities.
"I think the justices that are on the Supreme Court are very astute, obviously, students of the law, of the jurisprudence history of the Supreme Court, what they are doing," the Congressman said. "I think at the end of the day, those justices will be professional and they will be objective, and they will carry out their duties as a sworn member of the United States Supreme Court committed to Lady Justice, who is blind to the politics."
While both Congressmen are in agreeance with the concerns of the leak for the integrity of the Supreme Court, their views on the topic of abortion and reproductive rights do vary, to a degree.
"Reproductive rights are fundamental human rights," Congressman Higgins said. "Even the most recent Supreme Court justices during their confirmation hearings characterize Roe as settled law. So this is troubling. It's an erosion of basic human rights, and women's reproductive rights."
On the flip side, Congressman Reed says he does support life, but at the same time, he is empathetic to mothers who find themselves in a situation when it comes to abortion for instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
"We want to make sure women have access to health care to have access to birth control and other matters that will allow them to prevent as many unwanted pregnancies as possible. That's why I'm talking about education and things like that as those tools," he said. "If we can join there, I think that's a good are of common ground that we can start with. Then as we go through the legislative process, we're going to have to have an honest conversation with each other."