On May 3, a North Texas abortion clinic spoke to NBC 5 about the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the United States Supreme Court. The vice president of Whole Woman’s Health, Andrea Ferrigno, stated some communities would be impacted more than others.
Ferrigno said “marginalized communities, people of color, immigrants, [and] people living in poverty” would be most negatively affected.
Ben Carson spoke in 2015 in a Fox video, claiming Planned Parenthood locations are said to have negative impacts on these same communities.
“Maybe I am not objective when it comes to Planned Parenthood, but, you know, I know who Margaret Sanger is, and I know that she believed in eugenics and that she was not particularly enamored with black people,” Carson shared.
In an opinion piece written in the New York Times last year by Planned Parenthood President and Chief Executive Alexis McGill Johnson, she denounced some of Sanger’s past controversial actions.
“We will no longer make excuses or apologize for Margaret Sanger’s actions,” Johnson stated. “But we can’t simply call her racist, scrub her from our history, and move on. We must examine how we have perpetuated her harms over the last century — as an organization, an institution, and as individuals.”
National Veterans Organizer Tristeza Ordex, a veteran of the Marines, also spoke to NBC 5 on May 3, saying women in the military make up another vulnerable group that the overturning of the Roe precedent could impact.
“I think how many of these young women serving in the military are [thinking], ‘No, I’m not ready to have a kid because I need to keep up with my peers, my male peers,'” Ordex said. “And then you have individuals that are sexually assaulted in the military. And some of those sexual assaults result in pregnancies. You have these individuals that have to look for resources outside of the military. And with this, it’s happening right now with Roe v. Wade; it limits that for women serving in the military.”
As reported by The Dallas Express, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortions will be automatically banned in the State of Texas.
Whole Woman’s Health, a national independent abortion provider, has locations in McKinney and Fort Worth. A recent statewide restriction that prohibits abortions after a heartbeat is detected has caused a drop in patients at the clinic, NBC 5 reported.
The comments from pro-abortion advocates came after a draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked that suggested the 1973 Roe v. Wade case decision, which legalized abortion across the country, could soon be overturned.
The president and CEO of the clinic, Amy Hagstrom Miller, spoke to The Texas Tribune to explain abortion is not illegal yet.
“When news like this comes out, it confuses people and scares people, and I think there are people who will read these stories and think that abortion is already illegal,” Hagstrom Miller said. “I think it’s important for us to speak to these people and let them know this isn’t final, and at least for now, we can still offer them the care they deserve.”
Chief Justice John Roberts released a statement on May 3 to confirm the draft was authentic and vow to find out who was behind the leak.
In the written statement from Roberts, he explained such a breach of the Court’s confidential deliberations is an extremely rare occurrence.
“Justices circulate draft opinions internally as a routine and essential part of the Court’s confidential deliberative work,” the statement reads. “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.”
After the initial leak, some Texas lawmakers spoke out in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, according to KXAN.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took to Twitter to say he believes the power to determine laws on abortion should lie with the states.
I hope that #SCOTUS returns the question of abortion where it belongs: the States. This is why I led a 24-state coalition in support of MS’s law banning them after 15 wks.
I’ll con’t to ensure that TX protects the unborn & pray for the end of abortion across our nation.#ProLife https://t.co/efCC40gwMU
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 3, 2022
U.S. Representative Roger Williams, a Republican from Austin, also shared his thoughts on Twitter, stating his commitment is to unborn children.
I remain committed to protecting the unborn & am hopeful the Court's ultimate opinion will uphold the sanctity of life & rightfully overturn Roe.
However, I remain concerned this leak is a violation of the Court's privacy and is an attack on the independence of the Judiciary.— Rep. Roger Williams (@RepRWilliams) May 3, 2022
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the leaked draft was part of a case that challenges the 15-week ban on abortion that Mississippi has in place. The case is known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and the Court is expected to make a ruling in late June or early July.
