QC Community reacts to overturning of Roe v. Wade

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - The Quad Cities community is reacting to a Supreme Court decision handed down Friday, that overturns the precedent set almost 50 years ago by Roe v. Wade.

The 5-4 ruling will allow states to legislate their own abortion laws without any of the restrictions kept in place by Roe, which allowed for abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

Many of the people TV 6 spoke with this morning were just hearing about the ruling for the first time. Several described their feelings as disappointment, anger or said they needed more time to process the news. Some residents were pleased with the outcome.

”My thing is, okay let’s say a woman is raped, or incest or something, that’s different, okay? It’s her body, it’s her body anyway,” said Quad Cities resident Laurie Figley. “But there’s so many women out there that are just right and left, not even caring, not even thinking, then they can turn around and just I’m gonna abort, abort, abort. No, once it’s a fetus it’s in there breathing, it’s alive, it’s a human being.”

”I’m really glad. I don’t feel anything towards the women that have abortions, because I know sometimes they’re pushed into it for whatever reason,” said Marty Hines, another Quad Cities local. “But I’m glad that they overturned it.”

Some of the people TV 6 talked to were critical of the reasoning behind the decision.

“Somebody’s a Conservative, they, I think, believe in your right and my rights to do what’s within the law, and make choices,” said Alan Larsen. “Apparently this new brand of Conservatives, like the folks in the Supreme Court, don’t think a woman has a right to decide about her own body. And I disagree with it.”

State and local government officials have also been sending their responses to the decision throughout the day.

“The Supreme Court’s greatest moments have come when it allows America to embody more perfectly the enduring truth on which it was founded: that all human beings, without exception, are created equal. By that measure, today’s historic decision is clearly one such moment,” said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds in a statement. “But the fight for life is not over. As Governor, I won’t rest until every unborn Iowan is protected and respected.”

The Iowa Democratic Party’s chair Ross Wilburn also sent out a statement, saying in part: “Iowa Democrats will continue to fight for every Iowan’s right to decide for themselves if, when, and with whom they want to have a family. And this decision has only strengthened our resolve to see these personal freedoms restored.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called an emergency meeting on reproductive health rights, announcing the conference with a statement that says in part: “So long as I am governor, Illinois will be an island for reproductive rights for every American who has been abandoned by a Supreme Court beholden to the extremist Republican party. Today, pro-choice Democratic governors are the last line of defense for reproductive freedom, and we stand ready to fight like hell for women’s rights, as generations before us did.”

Roe V. Wade was originally decided in a 7-2 vote in 1973, next year would have been the decision’s 50th anniversary.

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